Living in L.A., it's not too unusual to run into someone who's famous for something. About 12 years ago I was startled to find that I was seated directly next to Mr. Poitier at our daughter's high school graduation. I was utterly star-struck: this was my grandest celebrity sighting ever. And I couldn't come up with a single thing to say for fear of infringing on his personal space. I simply smiled at him, acknowledging his presence and I recall that he nodded or smiled back. Our daughter told us later that a grand-niece of Mr. Poitier was in her graduating class.