MEETING DIANE

From American Planning Assocition

Published September’06

Thanx to Paola

The actress Diane Keaton is well known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Something's Gotta Give and in many other films. Less well known is her role in the formation of the American Planning Association 25 years ago.

In 1977, I was elected to the board of the American Society of Planning Officials and subsequently invited to join the 12-member group of board members from ASPO and the American Institute of Planners to negotiate a possible merger. We were led by ASPO's Dorothy Walker and AIP's Connie Lieder (no connection with Diane Keaton yet), and forged a consolidation agreement approved by both memberships in 1978.

Where Diane Keaton comes into the picture is the following year, when I was flying to the National Planning Conference in Miami. She was on my flight from New York and was leaving the plane hauling an unbelievable amount of camera equipment in a large tote bag. Naturally, I volunteered to assist. She declined at first, but eventually agreed to share the heavy load, with each of us holding one handle of the bag as we marched down the Miami Airport concourse. She thanked me as she entered a taxi, and I thought that was the end of it. The conference that year was at the Fontainebleau Hotel, a landmark complex known for its ornate splendor and setting.

Shortly after checking in, there was Ms. Keaton, camera in hand, photographing everything in sight. She didn't see me at the time, nor did I attempt to bother her. Later in the day, I ran into Fred Bosselman, who served on the ASPO-AIP merger committee with me, and was chairing the newly formed APA Nominating Committee. He was sitting with other committee members and asked whether I was willing to be a candidate for APA President-Elect. After I indicated my willingness, up marched Diane Keaton. Still with camera in hand, she thanked me once again for helping carry her camera equipment, said hello to the awe-struck APA members, and marched off to shoot still more photographs. I have never asked Fred or his colleagues whether Diane Keaton influenced their deliberations that year, but I was nominated by the committee, ran for APA President-Elect, and became the first elected President of the American Planning Association, serving during 1980-1981. Twenty-five years later, Ms. Keaton is more famous than ever, and APA has taken great strides forward as the nation's leadership organization for planning and the planning profession. We in planning may not be as famous as those in the entertainment industry, but our lives sometimes intersect and prove time and again that it only happens in America.

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