Arnold Schwarzeneggar is not very tall, but is broad at the shoulders. Madeline Albright would have been a NASCAR great had she not worked at the State Department. Former Duke basketball great, Grant Hill has a soft spot in his heart for children. President George W. Bush can shake hands at political fund-raisers in his sock feet. One Texas Ranger has bad manners.

A man can learn just as many tidbits from the Shoe Doctor as a woman can in a beauty shop.

Isaac Bryant may not occupy the most floor space in the American Tobacco Historic District, but his little corner of the lobby in the Crowe Building is valuable real estate. He does more than shine shoes there. He entertains, he consoles, and he shares both wisdom and knowledge to all smart enough to, as he says, "…recognize that they can get an exquisite shoe shine here."

Isaac, at 66, is retired from the airline security industry. His first job out of the Air Force was to be a teletype operator at New York's Idelwild Airport. Born in Harlem, Isaac found New York the right place to begin life after military service.

After stints at Idlewild Airport, Chicago, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Elmira, New York, he made his way to North Carolina in 1984. Isaac became an airport security officer at Raleigh-Durham International and in that venue met very famous people up close and personal.

One of his favorite stories relates the time he was transporting former Secretary of State Madeline Albright from one gate to another in a battery powered cart. The Secret Service agents were running along beside the cart.

"She turned to me with a smile and asked just how fast this thing would go. I told her it would go a lot faster than we were going. She said, 'Well, show me.' I pushed the accelerator all the way down and we took off. When the Secret Service agents caught up with us, they were huffing and puffing and were about ready to draw their guns on me. I told her, 'You're the boss. You said do it.' Well she was laughing so hard she could hardly talk."

On another occassion Isaac was transporting basketball great, Grant Hill, from gate to gate. "He had on a baseball cap, big dark glasses and was slumped down in the seat so people would not recognize him. He didn't want to get caught having to sign a lot of autographs. We came upon this little boy about 12 years old who was misbehaving and refusing to listen to his father who was trying to correct him.

"I stopped the cart, asked Grant Hill if he would help me straighten that little kid out. He said he would. I went over to the little boy and told him that if he would stop acting up and listen to his father and do what his father asked him to do, I would give him a gift he would never forget.

"The little kid said, 'What?' I told him that was Grant Hill in that cart over there and I would get him to sign an autograph if he would start behaving and listen to his father. The little kid didn't believe me until Grant Hill got out of the cart, stood up tall and took the cap and glasses off. He signed the autograph and the father gave me a big tip."

All of these anecdotes preceded the after career as the Shoe Doctor. After retiring at age 63 from the airport security job, Isaac opened a shoe shine stand at the Sheraton in the Research Triangle. During the Special Olympics he met the now governor of California and shined three pairs of his shoes. Isaac also received a letter of commendation from the Director of the Special Olympics that were held in Raleigh for his outstanding kindness and service to not only the staff of the Olympics, but also to the handicapped athletes.

"I told one little handicapped boy that I would make his shoes shine like gold and that would help him win a gold medal. Guess what, that little fellow won a gold medal."

During the presidential campaign of 2000, George W. Bush visited the Sheraton for a political fundraiser. "He came up to get his shoes shined but his aides told him he could not leave the crowd for that. So he took his shoes off and walked around shaking everybody's hand wearing just his socks as I shined his shoes."

The Bush visit was surely a memorable event, but for more reasons than one. "Part of Bush's security force included a contingent of Texas Rangers. One of them came over to me and said, 'Boy, can you still get a shine here for a dollar?' I said, 'No sir, you can't buy anything here for a dollar.' I really did not appreciate that archaic attitude."

Isaac Bryant is not a boy. He is a man of great dignity. His warmth, outgoing personality, gracious charm and ever positive attitude make him a fine gentleman who makes a great contribution to life at the American Tobacco Historic District.

Isaac adds a shine to more than shoes. He adds a shine to the spirit of all who meet him.