Memories Of Old School Rock And Roll Friend Vanessa Gilbert

My old friend and drummer from high school Rick Morrison sent me an email about his time at our school's recent reunion. He mentioned a girl we went to school with named Vanessa Gilbert who, he said, became a talent agent. Interested in Show Biz, as I am, I Googled Vanessa and found this old photo of her with Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant.

Schoolmate Vanessa Gilbert with Robert Plant

The main memory I have of Vanessa is of standing in line with her waiting to get into the cafeteria in high school and talking. I noticed this big guy, a senior, we were juniors, running toward us on top of the lunch area tables. He was jumping from table to table, knocking off kids' lunches onto the floor and seemed real pissed off. Future Tooner band mate, Greg Piper, whom I hadn't met at this point was just ahead of me in line talking to his friend Bob. Just as this big kid, who always wore a pea coat and claimed to have aspirations to be a Marine drill instructor, got to the table closest to us and prepared to take a flying leap right at us, Bob must have seen him and tipped off Greg (his intended target) who whipped around already throwing a punch. This big guy hit Vanessa on his way to Greg, knocking her violently to the floor. He got to Greg just in time to get Greg's fist in his nose, which went sideways as the rest of him went down on top of Greg, both to the ground in a bloody splatt.

Greg, who was not very big but wiry, bounced right back up ready for more but the big guy was done. As I helped a shaken Vanessa up from the floor and the lunch room attendants came to break up the fight which was already over, I heard the big guy say something to Greg about him having bumped into him earlier while he was trying to eat an ice cream cone and I guess Greg didn't apologize. That is my earliest memory of Greg Piper and my strongest memory of Vanessa Gilbert, poor girl.

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