Highway worker chases celebrity across the county

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. -- He is, in a word, ubiquitous.

There's Greg Packer hobnobbing with Hillary Clinton, or hanging with Justin Timberlake. He's downtown at Ground Zero, or in Times Square on New Year's Eve. He's shaking hands with Jimmy Carter, or shaking it up at a Madonna concert.

Packer, 39, is here, there and everywhere -- a celebrity-struck highway maintenance worker whose Zelig-like lifestyle has provided him with more than the requisite 15 minutes of fame.

"It's personal enjoyment," the Huntington resident said of a life devoted to locating where the action is and then heading in that direction. "I find it fun. I find it interesting."

Packer's devotion to celebrity was launched at a young age. When he was 8, his mother met actress Natalie Wood and gave young Greg a photo of the three-time Oscar nominee. About the same time, his dad gave Packer an autographed picture of boxer Joe Louis.

A stargazer was born.

"I like to be a piece of the action," Packer explained Friday night after meeting Sen. Hillary Clinton for the second time in five days. The former first lady was at a Borders bookstore in White Plains, N.Y., signing copies of her memoir, "Living History."

For Packer, the action includes making himself accessible to the media. He frequently turns up on television or in the newspapers with pithy comments about everything from the war in Iraq to the New York Knicks' draft picks.

His quotes have appeared in papers including The New York Times and The Times of London. The Associated Press has quoted Packer numerous times since 1996, in stories ranging from President Bush welcoming visitors to the White House to an XFL football game at Giants Stadium to the baseball All-Star Game in Fenway Park.

'In the right place'

"It's being in the right place at the right time," Packer said of his frequent appearances in the media. "I try to be accommodating ... Sometimes I just motion to them."

He employs a unique clipping service to find his name in print: "I hit the train station garbage cans for papers," Packer confided. "It's the best way to get them free."

Packer also scours the newspapers for word of upcoming events that promise a brush with greatness. He uses his vacation time and personal days for his brief visits with the rich and famous.

"He always likes to be the first person in line at big events, no matter what it is," said a co-worker, Rob Levine.

But despite the time and effort he puts in, Packer rarely boasts about his encounters, Levine said.

Packer doesn't limit himself to high-profile gigs. In 1998, he turned out for the opening of a Long Island store and a chance to meet the Rockettes in its shoe department.

But he makes a special effort for big events.

"I've been to two Super Bowls," he said while waiting for the Clinton book-signing. "I've seen the pope. I do the parades, the NBA draft."

On Friday, for the Clinton book-signing, Packer arrived at the suburban Borders Book & Music at 1 a.m. He waited for 18 hours, barely avoiding arrest by a police officer who thought he was a vagrant. At one point, he told a Borders employee about his quest to be first in line.

She was unimpressed.

"It didn't matter to me," said Lisa Freedman. "But it seemed to matter a great deal to him."