The STAR OKC Chronicles - The Second Half of 1985

STAR does indeed attend MedFair on April 13-14, sharing a booth with Nosfa.  The Club sells pouches (for gamers’ dice), rats on a stick, wooden swords, and — a surprise hit — Absolutions. This last item was jokingly sug­gested in January by the VP as an example of the real Mediæval mindset.  The Absolutions are printed on parchment and read, “ABSOLUTION. The mortal, ______ , is hereby deemed ABSOLVED of the heinous mortal sin or sins pursued by the aforemen­tioned in the past.” There follows a checklist of the Seven Deadly Sins.  “This dispensa­tion granted by the Sacred Church of Trump­ery.”

The May GG tells the tale. Treasurer Mike reports, “STAR OKC turned a profit of $230 at the Fair.  STAR also received about $60 from Spectrum foods for when we worked down at the Myriad. ... STAR has about $310 to its name.

(LEFT-TO-RIGHT: front: Veronica Blochowiak, Paul Marek, unknown gal in white;
JR Daniels in hood, MIke Hodge. STANDING:  MIke Powell, Bob Higgs, unknown,
Tamara Hodge)

“Because of this, STAR decided to do a con. It will be called SoonerCon and it will be June 6, 7, 8 of 1986.”

Yes, folks, we can thank Absolutions and Rats-on-a-stick for SoonerCon.

The May GG also contains Mike Hodge’s “A History of STAR OKC,” which has helped immensely in the production of these Chronicles, and the first contribution by Janetta Schuch, a new member (with her husband Bob).

Another STAR wedding occurs on June 7, when Mike Hodge and Tamara Baker get hitched in the Rose Garden at Will Rogers Park.

The June GG includes a membership list with these 23 paid members:

Mark Alfred   

Brandon McKay

David Lee Anderson

Mike Powell

Veronica Blochowiak

Mary Powell

Tammy Bothel

J.R. Daniels

Denise Reedy

Denise Rexroat

Cory Furse  

Casey Hamilton

Bob Higgs

Mike Hodge   

Tamara Hodge

James Hoy

Paul Marek

Bob Schuch

Janetta Schuch

Claire Stephens

David Stone    

Tony Trammel   

Lee Wise

            From    about   the       same    time     frame comes the first publicity release for Sooner-Con 1, courtesy of Publicity guy Larry Ne­mecek:  “ ‘SOONERCON 1’ TO BRING WEEKEND OF SCIENCE FICTION FUN TO OKC ... Sponsored by STAR OKC — the metro area’s SF, fantasy and media fan group — Sooner-Con 1 features three days of activities sure to please both the longtime “con”-goer as well as the curious weekender. ...”

In August, STAR welcomes another seven new paid members, and has a Saturday-afternoon cookout at Lake Thunderbird, featuring several members being stranded in the middle of the lake on a catamaran for a half hour or so.

Autumn brings the STAR Halloween Party, this year on Saturday, October 26, at Bob and Janetta Schuch’s, featuring Mark A. with a pump­kin head, Mike & Tamara H. as gorillas, the Schuchs in spacesuits, and other revelations of the attendee’s inner personalities.

In the November GG, it’s reported that thanks to working food booths at the State Fair, STAR now has $1300.  Also, STAR has its first mailout in conjunction with Planet Comics, an early step in what’s become a strange and wonderful af­finity between the Club and this store.

The December GG contains a  letter from California-relocated Veronica Blochowiak, a STAR member short on membership time but long on memories.  Also at the December meeting, of course, elections are held, of which more anon.

On December 21, STAR has a combined Christmas Party and Halley’s Comet Watch at the remote (north of Edmond in the badlands) trailer of Bob Higgs. No one spots Comet Halley, but everyone sees stars from having their skulls bounced off the inside roofs of their cars as they negotiate the Rocky-Mountainesque backroads from their homes to Bob’s trailer and back to civilization again.