[Rhodes22-list] Serendipity

[Brad Haslett]

This article was posted on Yahoo news tonight.  It caught my attention
because it indirectly had a huge impact later  in my career.  The lawyer who
got Richards out of jail was also the first legal counsel to FedEx (they
started in Little Rock).  From his experience with the Stones he morphed
into an entertainment attorney.  We were flying from Nashville to Little
Rock in early 1984 and he asked me if I would be interested in an interview
at FedEx. It was next to impossible for a civilian to get an interview there
at the time. "Sure, you know someone there?"   "Yeah", he said, "I'm friends
with Fred Smith."  Two weeks later I had an interview.  Never underestimate
the power of serendipity.  Here's the article.

    Back to Story<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060719/ap_en_ce/people_richards;_ylt=AosZX3n_XJAP_HMPfhMZWLTqChkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBidHQxYjh2BHNlYwN5bnN0b3J5>-
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 Ark. gov. to pardon Keith Richards' ticket

Wed Jul 19, 5:26 PM ET

The state of Arkansas is prepared to pardon Keith Richards for being a
reckless driver, 31 years later.

The state Parole Board on July 3 approved an application for clemency
submitted on behalf of Richards, the 62-year-old guitarist for the Rolling
Stones, by Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The board posted the official notice Tuesday, and the pardon will be
forwarded to Huckabee within 30 days. When the governor signs it, it will
clear Richards' record in Arkansas.

Richards was arrested July 5, 1975, as he, bandmate Ron Wood, a security
guard and a fan traveled from Memphis, Tenn., to Dallas. The group had
stopped in Fordyce for lunch, then got back on the road with Richards
driving.

A Fordyce officer saw the car swerve — Richards said later he bent to adjust
the radio — and stopped the vehicle. Police said they smelled marijuana and
took the four to City Hall.

Richards was charged with reckless driving and possession of a concealed
knife, and the fan was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
The knife charge was dropped, and Richards pleaded guilty to reckless
driving and paid a $162.50 fine.

Fran Curtis, a Stones publicist, said she knew nothing about the application
for clemency. Messages left for Richards' manager, Jane Rose, weren't
returned.

Huckabee plays bass guitar in a band called Capitol Offense that performed
for the Republican National Convention in 2004 in New York City.

The governor said he got the idea for a pardon when he realized that
Richards' impression of Arkansas "was marred by a misdemeanor traffic stop."

During a Stones concert in Little Rock in March, Richards asked whether
anyone in the audience was from Fordyce, adding, "I used to know the chief
of police there."

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