Johnny and the future Jayhawk

That night on the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson in his monologue made fun of an unknown Arkansas governor who just bombed at the Democratic convention by giving a long-winded, boring speech. His main guest was  actor Tom Hanks, who was promoting his new movie “Big.” But first up on stage was 6-year-old Andrew Shuster of Fremont, Neb. Andrew was fascinated by dinosaurs and had some models to show Johnny.

 That governor went on to be president, of course, and Hanks went to many Bigger things, and little Andrew Shuster grew up to be a National Merit Scholar and a KU graduate in psychology. Shuster, now 23, is returning to KU this year to begin his studies to become a paleontologist, a dream he first described to Johnny Carson 17 years ago.

 In the wake of Carson’s death last month, a Topeka Capital-Journal editor who covered Shuster’s visit to the Tonight Show on July 22, 1988, caught up to Shuster in Lawrence.

Shuster told editor Michael Hooper that he has little memory of his moment  on national television though recalls meeting Carson while getting his makeup applied before the show.

 "He shook my hand, and we chatted for a second," Shuster said.  “No one has handled children as guests with the poise and grace that he did.”

You may read this article, 'Tonight Show' shaped dream  (free registration required)