Saturday, December 10, 2011

February 1985 Galactic Gazette

A fine line drawing by JR Daniels is our cover.


Tamara Baker (later Hodge) was Pres at the time.

Yours truly was VP at the time, reporting on the news that "Spock is back, and Paramount's got him."  Yes, STAR TREK II: The Wrath of Khan was such a big hit that Paramount has announced the filming of a sequel, The Search for Spock.  

The lower paragraphs talk of the plans to share a vendors' booth at Norman's Medieval with NOSFA, the Norman Oklahoma Science Fiction Association.  Also there's mention of Absolutions, and how you can find out more about the concept by checking with your local Catholic parish.  As you will eventually learn, Absolutions can be big sellers, no matter the century.
Treasurer Mike Hodge explains how STAR's swollen cofferes, once containing the lordly sum of $29, has shrivelled down to almost nothing.

Following that is one of many attempts at communal writing, spurred by Mr Hodge.










Pretty sure that the "Chick Tract" on the next two pages was included SARCASTICALLY.




Anybody want to tell me who this person is?  My first guess would be that she was a character from Dr Who or some other bit of Brit TV madness.


See you later!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Remembering STAR Paul Cherry


Paul Cherry, a longtime member of the OKC fan community; a graduate of OKC's Capitol Hill High School; an officer of STAR OKC; Chair of Conestoga (for its sole occurrence; died at the end of August, 2011.

I was his Vice-Prez in STAR for a couple of years and knew him in STAR long before that.  But even fandom doesn't let you in on everything about somebody.  At his funeral I learned some new (nice) things about Paul, like that he was his church's webmaster.

Here is a link to another Paul tribute post:   http://weblog.shaum.com/index.php/2011/08/30/paul-cherry/

The images are by fellow STAR Kevin Hopkins, who has a link on the side.  The smaller line-drawings are all reductions of various drawings Paul made for STAR's Galactic Gazette.

Some time before December, posts of STAR OKC history WILL resume.  Promise!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Beginning of 1985

Welcome Back, folks, I've been scanning like crazy geting ready for the storm that was SoonerCon, beginning in 1986.  Here we have the beginning of 1985, when the planning began...

1985


Officers for 1985 are: President Tamara Baker; Vice-President Mark Alfred; Treasurer Mike Hodge.

At the first meeting of the New Year, it is decided that STAR will have a merchandise booth at the Mediæval Fair in April. Proposed items for sale include finger traps, rats on a stick, necklaces, and fuzzy dice. GG covers are assigned through August. The January GG includes reviews of current flicks (Dune, 2010, City Heat), and the first instalment of Bob Higgs’ “Remember the Heroes, a Super Hero Adventure Story.”

Compare October, 1984, when STAR OKC had four members, with this list of paid members who attend the February meeting:

Mike Powell
Tamara Baker
Mary Powell
Mark Alfred
Brandon McKay
J.R. Daniels
Cory Furse
Bob Higgs
Mike Hodge
Tammy Bothel
Denise Reedy
David Stone

(plus visitor Gerrod [sp?] Hardwicke) Not a bad little increase.



Time Capsule: The February GG has its first (of many) striking covers by the talented artist (and new member of STAR) Robert “J.R.” Daniels. Demonstrating the wide range of mem¬ber interest, this issue’s contents run the gamut from reports on the next STAR TREK film, to Part 1 of Prez Baker’s series on “The Regulation of Comic Books,” and the first GG look at upcoming conventions (another tradition alive today).

Much of the March meeting concerns the possibility of fundraising by selling concessions at the Fairgrounds or elsewhere, and a discussion leading to a list of 27 possible names for a Con that STAR might someday throw. Among the maybes are Connexion, Control, Convulsion, Convoke, Conclave, Concept, and — next to last, right before GalactiCon — the odd title SoonerCon. This last proposed name is marked with an arrow, but so are Prose and Con, and QuasiCon.

Much of Spring, 1985 is taken up with making items for sale at MedFair, and various concession fundraisers at the Myriad. Also, a tradition begins of scheduling a “second meet¬ing” every month that isn’t a business meeting but a party or other “fun thing.”

A member / contact phone list from March-May includes the first appearances of the names of future STARs Claire Stephens and Syd Henderson.

The April GG features an April Fools cover by Mark Alfred, complete with a mirror-reversed masthead. Titled “Special Movie Sequel Preview Issue,” it features silly captions and cobbled-together pictures, such as one showing Spock mindmelding with Dr. McCoy, who has the head of the Elephant Man. Along with various continuing columns, this issue also includes the first contribution by new member Veronica Blochowiak, a story called “Soul on the Rocks.”

Friday, February 4, 2011

Galactic Gazette for September 1984





With a cover logo by Mike Hodge, that later became art for a STAR flyer.

Monday, January 24, 2011

1984 in STAR OKC

In this year, STAR completes the transformation (begun in 1983 with the throw-Mark-Alfred-out controversy) into the inclusive, active Club it has become today (when this was written in the 1990s that is!). The year begins with the Club meeting at its traditional location, the Belle Isle Library. Larry Jones continues as President; Tammy Bothel is Vice-President; Tamara Baker is Secretary. Mike Hodge is Treasurer.


The January Minutes report, “Dues of $3.00 due this meeting.”

The following people attend the Febru¬ary 4, 1984 meeting:

Mike Powell

Mary (his fiancée)

Kathy Lemin

Tammy Bothel

Larry Jones

Mike Hodge

Mary Rottler

Zann Jones

Tamara Baker

John Gilfillan

Karla Jarrett



At the March meeting, it is noted that the Club has $42.00.

Most members of STAR attend the wedding of Mike and Mary Powell on March 24.

Another chapter in the twisting and turning drama of STAR OKC occurs when members try to attend the May meeting. Tamara Baker, Mark Alfred, and Tammy Bothel show up at the Belle Isle Library to find it locked up, closed for repairs. Zann and Larry Jones arrive soon after. Puzzle¬ment is expressed at the President’s not ar¬ranging for an alternate meeting place, since this one is obviously unavailable. Tempers in the Jones family flare, and they rapidly depart, never to return again to STAR OKC — until Larry visits once or twice in the early 1990s. Here’s the complete Min¬utes for this turn-the-corner STAR event: “May 12. Members present: Tammy Bothel, Mark Alfred [and Tamara Baker, who writes these Minutes]. A WASTE OF PAPER. Lib. closed, Zann & Larry Jones’s last ‘meeting’ — in parking lot!”

Only five attend the June meeting. Tammy Bothel fills the vacated President slot, and Tamara Baker becomes Vice-President.

Another step to the present STAR OKC is taken at the July meeting. Tamara Baker’s notes read, “Nosfa style newsletter proposed by M.H.” — meaning Mike Hodge. This is further kicked around at the August meeting, and ...

The September, 1984 meeting sees “the first issue of the new Galactic Gazette. I, being Tamara Baker, Vice-Pres. of STAR, am writing this to inform you of Club happenings. ...”

This cannot be emphasized enough. This September issue of the Galactic Gazette is the first in an UNBROKEN LINE down to our own GG of today. And, it’s thanks to Tamara Baker and Mike Hodge for this, the format continued even today. So, yea, broth¬ers, don’t forget the debt we owe to this first issue of the present GG!

The October meeting is that one of which present STAR members have heard Club Historian Mark Alfred reminisce about, the time “when STAR OKC had only four members.” And they all were there: Mike Hodge, Tamara Baker, Mark Alfred, and Denise Reedy. A four-member Club isn’t much good, so the decision is made to blow the Club’s treasury of $40 or so on Club flyers, and “blanket the city.” The flyer’s text: “STAR OKC — STAR TREK / Science Fiction Fan Club. In our 12th year! OKC’s oldest club for sci-ence-fiction fans.” Then meeting information. Then, “Dues are $3 a year” — probably a pretty good attention-getter.

The October GG contains a letter from the New Prez, Tamara Baker: “Yes, another new president. As you all know Larry Jones our former President re¬signed quite some time ago and left his then vice-president, Tammy Bothel, in charge. ... Yep, you guessed it. Tammy Bothel has become an ex-President.” Mark Alfred becomes Vice-President.

Another feature of the October GG is a 1¼ page proposed Constitution for STAR OKC. Once again, here we see the foundation of the present Club. STAR is “a science-fiction, fantasy, and science-fact fandom organization ... open to all people who feel it within themselves to attend at least 6 meetings a year and to pay the sum of three dollars a year as membership dues.” Note the language about being open to all, and the broad range of interests. This happened because the rank-and-file decided to make the Club this way, and not have it be a personal or political “clique” group. An addition to the section on impeachment of officers makes this clear: “General members cannot be impeached and their membership cannot be revoked. They can, however, be advised as to wrongdoings where the Club is concerned in the hope they will rem¬edy the situation by themselves.”

A further decision is taken at the October meeting to continue the present slate of officers through the next year. Pretty silly to elect three officers from among four or five members!

The November meeting sees a slight response to October’s flyer distribution, in the form of two visi¬tors: a fellow named Marq Pratt, and a gal named Casey Hamilton, who is later to fill many offices in STAR and SoonerCon. The November GG reports that the Club’s funds are down to $7.00, what with paying for the post-office box and the 1,000 flyers at Kinko’s.

A time capsule: The December GG has a cartoon cover by Mark Alfred depicting Santa in a space sled drawn by eight reindeer, each in its own space pod. Prez Tamara’s “Voice from Above” reports on the Halloween Party, the unanimous ratification of the new Constitution, and the possibility of STAR having a booth at the Spring 1985 Mediæval Fair in Norman. V-P Mark’s page is a column on “STAR TREK and STAR WARS’ Appeal.” Treasurer Mike’s “Voice from Beneath the Below” reports he has ordered 100 STAR OKC pens and that “we still have seven (7) dollars in our swelling account.” If anyone has some¬thing for the GG, they should get it copied 20 times and bring it to the meeting. Then ensues a page of Mike’s “Continuing Story of Martin” and a list of SF items wanted to buy by a guy in Florida.