Great Trip is No. 1 Reason Why Price is Letterman Fan

Great Trip is No. 1 Reason Why Price is Letterman Fan

BY DAVID KAPLAN
Rice News Staff
May 28, 1998

Until recently Russell Price would not have described himself as a David Letterman
fan. But, says Price, the maintenance manager in the facilities and engineering
department, "I am one now."

On May 7 Price and his wife Yvonne, and about 500 other Houstonians, took part
in an unforgettable, all-expenses-paid show biz adventure. After flying on a
chartered jet, they took their seats in New York City’s famed Ed Sullivan Theater
and cheered wildly throughout a special, Houston-themed Late Show with David
Letterman, which aired the following day.

The Prices had great seats–fourth row, center stage–most likely because they
had been clever enough to wear matching purple and black Western shirts that
caught the eye of the man in charge of seating.

It was Yvonne Price’s idea to try to get tickets. They mailed in several entries
for the random drawing. A total of about 60,000 entries were sent in by Houstonians.
Price mailed in one of the entries using his Rice office as the return address.
Two weeks later, while he was at work, he received a letter announcing that
they’d won, but he didn’t bother to open the envelope–he assumed it was junk
mail. After accidentally stumbling upon the letter the following day, he opened
it.

Good thing he did. "We had a ball," he says of the trip. One of the
highlights was when the Prices and the rest of the audience walked from the
hotel to the TV theater. The line stretched for two city blocks. While marching
they pumped themselves up with Houston-related cheers.

Price also found the taping of the Letterman show to be thrilling, and especially
enjoyed all the comic Houston references.

After the show the Prices took in Manhattan. They were awestruck by Times Square,
which blazed with lights and teemed with humanity. All the walking gave Price
a sore back which he remedied by "paying for a massage on the streets of
New York."

When the Prices returned to Houston they watched a videotape of the show and
could see themselves in the audience. They were also featured on a KHOU-TV report
on the Houston audience.

Looking back on his good fortune, Price says he wasn’t completely surprised
when he found out that they won the highly-coveted tickets.

"Every time Yvonne enters something she wins," he says. "But
I can’t get her to play the Lotto. She won’t do it for money."