Is Dave Relihan my brother from whom I was separated at birth?
From time to time, I am confronted by someone in Topeka who looks at me and says, "I know you...you are Dave Relihan!" "No," I respond, "I'm Doug Wright." And, then the person looks embarrassed and I feel bad for them.
Dave Relihan, pictured at left, was a popular TV weatherman in Topeka for many years, but for the past 15 years or so, he's only been heard on the radio and, as far as I know, he hasn't been seen on TV during this time. How do people remember what he looks like, and for that matter, how do they remember what I look like, since my face hasn't been in the papers or on TV much in the past 15 or 20 years or so either.
A few weeks ago, as I left a local store, and man entering the store passed me and said, "Relihan, right?" I said, "Wrong....Wright." He looked confused until I explained. He was a former Topeka police officer who worked for me 25 years ago.
Just this week, I ran into a high school classmate and as I greeted her, she said to me "Hi, Dave!" I said to myself "Really. You've known me fairly well for over 50 years and you confuse me with Dave Relihan?" Well, I guess I'm lucky I'm not confused with some scoundrel. I've met Dave several times and he is a great guy. But, I do wonder if he ever gets a "Hi, Doug" from people he meets and whether our ancestors crossed paths somewhere along the way.
