Following In Father's Footsteps

Following in a father's footsteps sometimes means filling some pretty big shoes. Melvin Glimcher is a distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School and a renowned research scientist. And so, too, is his daughter, Laurie.

"When she was very young, it was clear that she was interested in science," Mel said.

Her interest in science made for some interesting times.

"So this was a fourth grade science project and the project was to look at how crayfish molt," Laurie said. "We had a whole big bucket of them. And we put them in water. And left them there in the sink overnight. And I got up the next morning, came down to the kitchen and screamed. And they were all over the floor. And it was just horrendous."

"Wasn't ideal," Mel said.

Sometimes Mel would take her with him to the lab.

"She would ask, 'What's this?' 'Why?' 'What are you using this for?'" he said.

"We would go see patients. And I think that's what enchanted me at that very young age, was the fact that you could both take care of people and you could think about ways, new ways, creative, innovative ways that you could solve some of these medical problems," Laurie said.

Now, she has her own lab at the Harvard School of Public Health where she and her father have collaborated on a key discovery in the fight against osteoporosis.

"It's been a privilege, really a privilege to have a dad like him, to be such a wonderful father and a wonderful role model," she said. "I love him. I love him and I know he loves me."

Of course sometimes being a good father means being a good grandfather. Mel would often babysit Laurie's kids while she worked, proving that he's not just a distinguished scientist, but also what he calls "the fastest diaperer in the East."

And maybe there was something magic about his diapering, because now his grandson (Laurie's son, Hugh) is a student at Harvard Medical School, following in some pretty big footsteps.

Following in your father's footsteps is a tall order when dad is almost 7 feet tall, his shoe size 17, and he's been voted one of the top 50 basketball players of all time.

But that's exactly what Luke Walton, son of Bill Walton, has done. He's a starter on the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I don't think I knowingly tried to follow his footsteps as a kid, but I think every kid kind of looks up to his dad and wants to do what they do," Luke said.

He's always referred to as Bill Walton's son.

"I don't mind it," Luke said. "I think my Dad's a great person. I think he's done great things and to be called his son, you know, I don't mind it at all, it's fine with me."

And he's always compared to his father.

"It's always hard when a child tries to follow in their parent's footsteps," Bill said. "And the fans will do anything to get under your skin. And that you have to train yourself that when they're comin' after you, that's because they respect you."

"I just don't listen to them," Luke said. "It's been happening since junior high and high school. So I just made a decision, when I was younger, that I just wouldn't really pay attention to it. I'd just play how I wanted to, and it's worked out nicely."

But, let's face it, there have been advantages to being Bill Walton's son.

"As a kid, I mean it was really cool because we always got to go to the Final Four," Luke said. "We always got to go to the Boston Garden, the NBA finals, that type of thing. And you know being a kid that loved basketball, you know watching Larry Bird walk down the hall right in front of you was a dream come true."

Now Luke is on the court and Bill is a fan in the stands.

"You're not only there just to cheer 'em," Bill said. "You're there to support 'em. You're there to show your endless and unconditional love for when the ball bounces the other way."

Being there however the ball bounces.

"On Father's Day when Adam, Nate, Luke, and Chris all call and say, 'Dad, thanks for being such a great dad,' there is no better feeling on Earth," Bill said.

Bill Geist is, of course, a giant in the broadcast industry and now his son, Willie, is following in his dad's jumbo footsteps.

Willie appears on several MSNBC programs, where he reports offbeat news stories at the end of the broadcasts — sound familiar?

He also blogs and vlogs — stuff his father doesn't even understand.

"Do you get the blog at the library? Or how does that work? I haven't quite figured out the blog myself," Bill the father said.

"And I, like, go into this room," Willie tried to explain. "I talk into a camera, and then it's on the 'interweb' right afterwards," Willie said.

"(That) is plural: the interwebs," Bill joked.

"The interwebs," Willie said. "It's on the network of interwebs."

Did Willie always want to be on television?

"Well to be honest with you, I haven't come to terms with the fact that I'm not gonna be playing for the Knicks or Yankees, so I haven't given up on those," he said.

"But you kind of couldn't get away from it in our house, because every morning you'd come down for breakfast — maybe some French toast, some pancakes," he said. "And there were these huge lights, these cameras all over the place. It's like you're walking onto the set of a movie. So, it was in your face every day. So, it was kind of inevitable, I think."

"Well, I remember mentioning to you that you should get an internship on Wall Street," Bill said. "You know, you're miserable all week, make tons of money, and just have lavish weekends and vacations."

"I didn't, you know, go into being a local news anchor [or] an investigative reporter, telling the straight news and saving you and your family from the dangers in your kitchen," Willie said. "We did, you know, the weird stuff. We went off the road."

Willie himself was about to become a father.

"I haven't come to terms with the word 'grandfather' yet," Bill said.

"You couldn't have, 'cause I haven't come to terms with being a father," Willie said.

Sooner than expected — the very next day in fact — Willie had a girl, Lucie, just in time for Father's Day.