Former political analyst and advisor to four US Presidents, David Gergen died this week at 83. A CNN spokesperson said he was “always happy to share his wisdom and his spotlight with others.”

“A political scholar who served four presidents of both parties, an adoring father and dedicated husband, a senior statesman in every sense of the word, and a tireless educator. But above all else, David was a relentlessly kind and warm person.”

I never met the man, so I suppose he was “a relentlessly kind and warm person.”

Years ago, I was waiting for a flight when I witnessed a scene like the Google Gemini image pictured here. Author Tom Peters, dressed like he just jumped off a tractor after plowing the back 40, approached Mr. Gergen. Mr. Peters is a widely acclaimed author, having sold  over 10 million copies of his books. One that he co-authored in 1982, “In Search of Excellence,” is one of the best-selling business books of all time, selling over 3 million copies in its first four years.

Anyway, as Mr. Peters approached and addressed the seated Mr. Gergen, Gergen barely looked up from his newspaper. After a few awkward seconds Mr. Peters walked away. I wonder if he recalled the encounter upon hearing of Mr. Gergen’s passing. I think a lesson here is that dressing like a farmer in a baseball cap in an airport is effective for maintaing anonymity. There’s another possible explanation involving Mr. Gergen’s character, but why go there? RIP