MisterMan92

Mr. Gore, Thanks for doing an AMA. I’m writing this because a little more than 12 years ago, I met you and it changed my life. I was 7 years old at the time and my father was a photojournalist traveling with you. He had been on the road with your team for weeks and I had not seen him in person in quite some time. I sent him a letter with a picture of a telephone, pager, and computer with a short note underneath reading “These are the only ways I can talk to you. I want to talk man to man!”

A few days later, my Dad received the letter while on Air Force II. Your daughter Karenna happened to see it and she told my Dad that she wanted you to see it. A bit later at a photo-op, you approached my Dad and asked to see the letter.

That night at an off-the-record party, you and my Dad were talking over a beer and the letter came up again. My Dad then asked “If I call him right now, would you get on the phone?” All of the sudden, my Dad calls the house and tells me Al Gore wants to talk to me. Being 7 years old, I was not nearly aware of the magnitude of the situation, and treated it much like any other phone conversation. I don’t remember most of the conversation, but I do remember you telling me that I was a "very bright young man" and had “great handwriting for a second grader.”

A few days later, when we went to greet my Dad at Andrew’s Air Force Base, you came up to me and said “Are you Mr. Man to Man?” You introduced yourself to the rest of my family and we chatted for a bit before you left. From that day on, my Dad said that every time you guys saw each other you would ask him “How’s Mr. Man?”

So while I do not have question for you Mr. Gore, I just wanted to take my first opportunity since then to say “thank you” for that. You didn’t go out of your way to talk to a 7 year old on the phone as a political act or to win over voters, you did it because you are a genuinely incredible person. To this day, whenever anyone tries to talk down or make fun of Al Gore, I tell them my story and they are blown away. So once again, Mr. Gore, thank you. You are the man.

Doing great now! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to thank you for what you did now that I am older. My parents are going to flip when I show them this.

Oh and just so you know, I cried when Bush won the election.