SoonerCon 1's ConComm and 1st Press Release

BOTH THESE DOCUMENTS ARE FROM 1985.

These are (some of) the folk you can blame for SoonerCon 1, which took place in 1986. I've redacted the phone numbers. Handwritten notes (not by me) are on the reverse.

Here's the press release.  For those of us in the know, it's a simple task to adjudge the words as crafted by later ThunderChief and future TREK Hound Larry Nemecek.

See ya next time for another dip into the churning waters of OK fandom history!

  

December 1985 Galactic Gazette

 

 

The cover art, appropriately named for the forthcoming December activity, is labeled "Comet Watch."  It is signed "O'Daniel."  The only O'Daniel that I know of in STAR is Gayle O'Daniel, who was also 1985 Treasurer Mike Hodge's mom, who occasionally put up with us at her place for meet-ups.  Gayle was also the "Graphics" person for SoonerCon 2, which was in November 1986.

 

Here is a sign-off as President from Tamara Hodge who is tired.

 

Here is a letter from me about Christmas with a bait-and-switch at the end to try & get people to consider Jesus in a different way.

 

Here is a summation note from outgoing Treasurer, the aforementioned Mike Hodge, who notes that in 1985 STAR went from around $40 in January to $1300 at year's end.  Of course this wad of cash was raised (and augmented in the coming years) in order to fulfill Mike's vision, explained to me across a table at Hardee's a year or more before this:  "We gotta put on a con."

 

SoonerCon history began!

 

Here is an illo from STAR Bob Higgs, captioned "Next!"  It's typical of Bob's subject matter, sexy gals and violence for interlopers.

 

Here we have a reminiscence from Veronica Blochowiak, an ex-STAR who has moved to California.

 

And that about wrapped up 1985 in STAR!



November 1985 Galactic Gazette

This GG is one of my favorites because of Tamara Hodge's cover art, however multi-copied and scan-deresolved it may be.

 

 

Combine Bela's scritchy-scratchy, creepy-crawly hands with memories of watching Count Floyd (of SCTV fame) and you have yours truly bending over his children and grandchildren, fingers tickling the air, announcing how S-C-A-R-R-R-Y something was going to be.

 

Here we have President T Hodge discussing going to view Halley's Comet in the boonies (which happened later on)

 

The above page was my proof that I was, by golly, a published author, paid and everything.

 

In the Treasurer Report, M Hodge announces that  STAR has, $1300, $507 of which came from working recently at the OK State Fairgrounds.  Other plans include a mail-out with Planet Comics -- that is, a SoonerCon flyer stapled into a flyer sent to members of Planet Comic's mailing list.

 

These last three pages are a short tale by STARs Bob & Janetta Schuch.

 

 

See you again soon!

October 1985 Galactic Gazette

 

It seems that I recall that this month;s cover (the "original" paper is nearly as faint as this scan) is by Paul Marek.

 

President Tamara Hodge discusses the fundraising work, selling foodstuffs at the OKC Fairgrounds.  The report from the literate Mike Hodge mentions about fifteen hunnert bucks in the kitty.

 

I cannot tell you why the above page is labeled 1984 when this Gazette is from 1985.  But you know whom to blame!



 

 

These last three pages ar by Janetta Schuch, who at the time was a foam-at-the-mouth Space Opera writin' maniac.  I wish her the best!

September 1985 Galactic Gazette

 

 

This month's cover is by Veronica Blochowiak, and makes one wonder how long it would take for the nymph's wings to dry out after a dip in the stream.

 

In fact, as you can read below, soon after this month Veronica headed out to Sunny California, all the while protesting that we didn't spook her into leaving.



 

One of the topics mentioned by Prez Tamara was star-gaving at Bob Higgs' trailer.  This actually came about after SoonerCon, at the end of 1986.  Photos will be later forthcoming.

One of the possible down sides of having zine-based newsletter is those months when few people have anything to say, such as this month's Galactic Gazette.

 

Officerly duties are almost the only content, except for the loudmouth below.



 

The framework on the above page is the skeleton for my silly and uncompleted (only 100+ pages)novel, whose working title the past twenty-five years has been Fiends and Friends from Outer Space.

 

At least my mom liked it!



August 1985 Galactic Gazette

We begin the August, 1985 Galactic Gazette with a depiction of a boy and hius big lizard by Paul Marek.

These (previous pages talk about preparations for SoonerCon 1 and new members.

In my VP rant, I mention that Entertainment Tonight reports that Star Trek IV will be about Kirk's trial and Elisha Cook will reprise his role as Samuel T Cogsley from the episode "Court Martial."  I have NO IDEA if that is true or if I just made it up.  As we know, Kirk's "trial" before Starfleet took up about 5% of the actual film.

This is apparently a list of all the videos I had at the time in case somebody wanted to watch them.

Here's a short-short by Veronica Blochowiak.

These final pages are a tale by Paul Marek.

July 1985 Galactic Gazette

This Gazette was produced after-the-fact because certain members (like yours truly) whined and stamped ther feet about the Gazette not using July Fourth as an excuse to not get done.

So it's a short one!

Our cover is by Janetta Schuch, a fairly new-at-the-time member along with her husband Bob.

On July 3rd STAR worked at the Fairgrounds at a food booth & made about $300 of income, all of which was destined for SoonerCon.

Our treasurer Mike Hodge notes that STAR now has about $650 in store for SoonerCon.  Don't you love tha last line, hoping that "we'd have this thing paid off before it starts" ?

Stay tuned!  And HOWDY to far-flung ex-STAR Veronica B!

June 1985 Galactic Gazette

That's a dragon spreading his wings, and if you think it's supposed to look like something else, then you're just so wrong.

Tamara Baker, soon-to-be Hodge, has become President for some reason I don't remember.

Somehow, yours truly became Vice-President.  as the last tag on the page above says, "by reason of attrition."  That's probably better than through regicide as in the Star Trek "Mirror" universe.

Mike Hodge, in control of the purse strings, mentions that the Club has a total of more than $400 to its name, "with checks and everything."  He describes attempting to line up geusts for our new convention to be held in 1986, called SoonerCon.  Vonda McIntyre and Gordon Dickson aren't available, and nobody answered at Tom Disch's house.  (Although it worked out that Disch will come to the first Soonercon!)

 Now we have some writings from Veronica Blochowiak.

 We appear to have 23 members of STAR OKC.  Yours truly MAY be the only person of all of this motley crew to STILL HAVE the same address/phone as way back then.  But just in case, we have performed some surgical obliteration.

 Next we have some group fiction by Denise Reedy, Tammy Bothel, and Tamara (still) Baker.

Stay tuned for more of the awesomely fascinating history of the OKC of STAR and the lead-up to the original SoonerCon.

Just don't hold your breath. (channeling the dry wit of M Hodge there)