I hope this is on point regarding one "idol" I did meet.
Back in 1975 or so I was selling stereo equipment for a living, having dropped out of college. After doing this for a while I decided I wanted to go back to school, get my electrical engineering degree and design stereo equipment. One of the people who inspired me was Richard Sequerra, who had designed a state of the art FM tuner that was heads and shoulders above anything else at the time. So I went back to school and was doing well towards getting my degree. While at school I went to a stereo show somewhere in NYC and in one room was a Sequerra tuner and Richard Sequerra himself. So I mustered up enough courage (22 years old at the time) and went up to him and said "Mr. Sequerra, my name is--- and I want to tell you your work has been an inspiration for me." He exploded, saying, "That's the biggest bunch of bull--- I've ever heard" and continued yelling at me. He turned off the stereo in the room and kept yelling. I made an embarrassed retreat, but the memory still lingers. I'd like to meet him again one day andÂ…