There’s a lot you might not know about our Temple Health employees—like the fact that one of them dated Kevin Hart for two years in high school. Or that another performed onstage with Weird Al. You probably also didn’t know that someone at TUH-Main Campus is officially “beach buds” with Ryan Howard, or that a Fox Chase team member had her foot signed by Paul McCartney (and got a tattoo to commemorate the moment).
That’s just some of what we learned during our Temple Talk Celebrity Photos Contest, in which we asked our employees to submit pictures of themselves with their favorite stars using Temple Talk, our employee mobile app. We received over 200 photos of celebs—everyone from sports legends to musical artists to bona fide A-listers—and chose our 20 favorite pictures. 18 of the submitters won free cookies for everyone in their departments, while the top 2 entrants earned special movie-themed deluxe gift baskets!
We also asked everyone who won to tell us the stories behind the photos—and in many cases, their responses were even better than the pictures themselves! Scroll through the photos and then watch the videos or read the stories our winners sent us—and if you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with your family and friends!
Grand Prize Winner #1 — Celebrity: Taylor Swift
Employee: Taylor Kraus
Kraus (second from right) with Taylor Swift at the GIANT Center in Hershey, PA in 2009.
What’s the story behind the photo?
“My friends and I went to see Taylor Swift in concert in 2009 at the GIANT Center in Hershey...back when she was an opener. She was the opening act for Rascal Flatts, but we were there to see her, of course! After arriving, we entered a contest with a local radio station to win VIP meet & greet passes - and we won! As you can see from the photo (I'm second from the right), the tears were flowing from pure excitement. She was extremely friendly, asked us questions, and made the experience super fun."
Grand Prize Winner #2 — Celebrity: Kevin Hart
Employee: Lenore Price
Price and Kevin Hart on their one-year anniversary.
What’s the story behind the photo?
"Kevin and I met during my time at George Washington High School. I was not the least bit interested in him because he would always make jokes about my height (go figure, right? But I was shorter than him). We ended up dating for two years. This picture was taken on our one-year anniversary. We went to the mall after school and went to Sears to have pictures taken before going to a movie. My birthday was also that day, and Valentine’s Day was the next day, so he and his best friend got together and made me a b-day/V-day dinner."
Celebrity: Pope John Paul II
Employee: Mary Baldwin-Hagan
Baldwin-Hagan (far right) receives a blessing from Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
What’s the story behind the photo?
"My husband and I were on our honeymoon in Rome in March of 1994 (I was actually already working at Fox Chase Cancer Center back then!). Archbishop John Foley, who was the former editor of the Philadelphia Catholic Standard and Times, was the head of Vatican Communications at that time. He sent us tickets for the newlywed section at the weekly Vatican audience. However, any newly married couple can contact their diocese for these tickets.
Pope John Paul took the time to speak briefly with the couples and gave each of us an individual blessing. It was so incredible and very unexpected. I was just hoping to get some good photos and was shocked when Pope John Paul came over to us after the audience address. There were two official Vatican photographers who snapped away at every person who came in contact with him during the audience and later mailed us the photos. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share such an amazing experience!"
Celebrity: LL Cool J
Employee: Heather Sizemore
Sizemore (right) and a friend with LL Cool J.
What’s the story behind the photo?
