Taylor Swift surprised Cyrus Porter, a 96-year-old WWII veteran and a fan of Swift, in New Madrid, Missouri, on Dec. 26.
Caroline Fowler, a junior at Southeast Missouri State University, is the granddaughter of Porter and was there when he met Swift.
Fowler said she is not sure how Swift found out about her grandfather, but she believes an interview Porter did with KFVS12 a week before may have been what caught the attention of the singer.
Porter became a fan after attending a concert that was part of Swift’s “Speak Now” tour.
“A few years ago I was actually a sophomore in high school,” Fowler said. “We were going — me, one of my friends and my mom was going to go to a Taylor Swift concert and my Popo had heard a song or two on the radio by Taylor Swift and he really liked her, so my mom was like, ‘You know what, you can go to the concert with us,’ because he still likes to go and do everything. So, he went to the concert with us and ever since that day he was just, like, in love with Taylor Swift, like loved her songs, loved to dance to it.”
Porter also attended the “1989” concert in St. Louis in September 2015.
Fowler said no one in her family was aware of what was happening, but told her to be at her grandparents’ house at 1 p.m. She was told by her mom someone had a “special package” to give to Porter and his family.
“One o’clock everybody went back into where we all gather for Christmas and a few minutes later Taylor Swift walked through the door,” Fowler said. “I still can’t believe it, if I sit and think about it.”
Fowler said her grandfather was in a bit of shock when it happened.
“At first when she walked through the door looking at his facial expression it looked like he didn’t believe it,” Fowler said. “He just kept looking and then he said, ‘I saw her mom walking behind her,’ and he said, ‘I think this is Taylor Swift.’”
Once Swift came in with her parents and spoke to Porter, Fowler said she asked if it was OK to have a concert in his house because she did not know when her next tour would be. Swift played her hit song "Shake It Off" on an acoustic guitar. After playing, she met and talked to family members.
Porter then took Swift on a tour of his house, showing off his photos, military medals and awards and stockings for his grandchildren, according to Fowler.
Fowler said it took a bit for the fact that Swift made a visit to sink in for Porter.
“The day after he was still kind of in disbelief,” Fowler said. “Even though all these people were calling him, like his family, media and all this stuff, and I think yesterday I definitely hit him because I went over to their house and he just could not stop talking about it. He was like, ‘She was right here and I just can’t believe she was here.’”
Fowler said she talked to Swift about attending her concerts and she said Swift thanked her for going. She said she spoke to Swift’s mom more than Swift herself about college.
“I said ‘I’m actually graduating next December,’ and she was like ‘That is so good, I’m glad to hear that,’” Fowler said. “She was proud of me for graduating college in a year. It was crazy, it was like she was my aunt or somebody talking to me.”
Fowler said Swift and her family felt like they were a part of her own family.
“I have always heard that Taylor Swift and her family they’re so nice and giving and stuff, and you see it all over the news and social media and stuff, but you never realize how normal they are till you meet them,” Fowler said.
Fowler said it was an unbelievable experience.
