Anita Thompson, widow of famed gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, was in Washington for a book signing Thursday at Olsson's, where I filed a brief report:

"He was not writing for professors, he was writing for his people," Anita Thompson told a crowd of about 40 people at Olsson's bookstore on Seventh Street NW, talking about her new book, "The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson."

Now a student at Columbia University, Mrs. Thompson said her professors are "not as welcoming" as Mr. Thompson, whom she credited as "the one who introduced me to literature."

Mrs. Thompson, 34, worked as an editorial assistant for the famed author of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" before their marriage in 2003.

"When I first met him, I didm't know who he was. He was just a guy I had a crush on," she said, adding that her family initially "freaked out" at her decision to marry a man 35 years her senior.

Thompson's legend seems to have been misunderstood by some of his fans, she explained:

"A lot of young people are under the assumption that if you do a lot of cocaine and drink a lot of Wild Turkey, you, too, can write like Hunter S. Thompson," she told the audience that included Richard Cusick of High Times magazine and R. Keith Stroop, founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Her husband, she said, believed in originality, and didn't believe anyone should try to be like anyone else -- especially not like Hunter S. Thompson.

Here's video of an old interview in which Thompson was asked about the the difficulty of living up to his image:

After the book-signing, Mrs. Thompson and several of her husband's old friends adjourned to a nearby pub, where they were served by waiter Kevin Carlson, 29, who said he was honored to have such an opportunity. When he was 22, Carlson said, his best friend bought him a copy of Thompson's "Rum Diary" as a gift, and he's been a fan ever since. Mrs. Thompson responded by giving the waiter a gold-tone pin with her late husband's fist-and-dagger "Gonzo" logo.

-- Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times