Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 29, 1994 TAG: 9411300005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``Someday ...'' she told me, ``I'd really like to work for him.''
Me, too.
Alas, the position - as far as I still know - is filled.
Someone named Robbi Miller has the job. She's had it for years.
The title?
Assistant to Mr. Redford.
I always sit in the theater until her name rolls through the credits.
``Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (That tousled blond hair. The way he rode that horse.) ``The Way We Were'' (Those gorgeous blue eyes. ``See ya, Hubble!'') ``Out of Africa'' (The way he washed Meryl Streep's hair by the river in Kenya and held her hand during the biplane ride.)
Faye Dunaway. Jane Fonda. Meryl Streep. Barbra Streisand. Debra Winger. Demi Moore. Lena Olin. Just a partial list of the women who actually got to kiss him.
I worship the water he walks on.
Lynn's is a different passion.
A serious environmentalist, Lynn worships the land, air and water.
Until she heard Robert Redford speak at the annual Society of Environmental Journalists Conference in Sundance, Utah, Lynn wasn't much impressed with the object of my cinematic drooling.
``I went in jaded,'' admitted Lynn, a public-affairs officer for the Virginia Sea Grant College Program at Virginia Tech and its College of Forestry. ``I thought, he'd be some long-winded, no-substance Hollywood hot-air buffoon ...''
Lynn was wrong.
Now Lynn drools about the man's passion. How articulate he is. His mind.
See, Lynn got to sit in the front row when Redford addressed those attending the conference. And she can prove it. She's got pictures - candid ones.
He spoke on a crisp October morning, at his Sundance amphitheater surrounded by granite mountains.
``It was done tastefully,'' evaluated Lynn. ``Very environmentally sensible.''
Redford was ``spellbinding.''
He spoke for about 40 minutes - without any notes - about how the last two Congresses have not passed one piece of environmental legislation.
``He was a low-key, yet dynamic speaker, full of good, deep, rich information,'' she said. ``He has a calculating, analytical mind.''
Let's cut to the chase, Lynn. Just how did Bob look?
``He's got the body of a 20-year-old.''
His neck sags a little, she says, but he looked slim in his jeans, a flannel shirt and a Navy peacoat. He wore one of those in ``Three Days of the Condor.'' Only I saw it in a theater.
Lynn saw the real thing. She's never heard of ``Three Days of the Condor.''
We exchanged information. Lynn educated me by faxing some of his words:
``Our paid leadership has abused its power and is shortsighted for the immediate spurious gain. Our nation is so sick that it can not see environmental health is to our economic gain. We can no longer look to Washington to get us out of this mess.
``Since there is no leadership coming out of Washington, we need journalists to give a balanced view. Unfortunately, many editors say that environmental issues are not sexy enough so they do not devote space to the matters.
``Hey, we're talking about our FUTURE health. You mean to say that is not important to readers?''
She asked me about his marital status, and I filled her in on the photo I saw of him with a costume designer in People magazine on one of his rare public appearances when ``Quiz Show'' premiered this month.
``How old was she? What did she look like?'' Lynn wanted to know.
Late thirties, early forties. Very attractive, intelligent-looking brunette.
She told me about an address he gave at Brown University.
Several years ago, Redford got so upset with Washington that he set out to find an alternative route of influence.
He did a lot of research and discovered that more U.S. presidents send their children to Brown University than any other college.
So this reclusive, elusive man called Brown and offered to deliver an environmental address. Gratis.
``He told us he put his whole heart and soul into that speech,'' Lynn said. ``Then Sam Donaldson stood up and asked, `So, who's better looking - you or Dan Quayle?'''
Lynn was more appalled by Sam's question than I.
I actually stopped and considered it.
Redford is, of course.
But now I'm considering recycling.
Lynn?
I sent her out to rent ``The Milagro Beanfield War.''
by CNB