By Adm. Bob Vosseller, Vice Regional Coordinator, STARFLEET REGION 7
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. its the life in your years.” I decided to open this delayed edition of Sub Space Chatter with that quote which I read this morning from the USS Ascension 11th anniversary magnet I discovered in my pile of Communiques. That anniversary was noted back in Jan. 11 2010, an event I attended.
My reorganizing of CQs brought back many memories. I had secured my CQ collection two years ago having salvaged them from my damaged home. Thankfully, they were in the top portion of a filing cabinet and had not gotten wet or moldy. I never got around to actually putting them back into order until today.
That said, a flurry of memories hit me earlier today. A reminder of the passage of time and the many experiences I’ve had with my chapter, the 7th Fleet and the often offbeat history of our international fan association itself.
Among the CQs I took notice of noted the death of Edgar Torres, the former CO and founder of the USS Osiris, an issue that featured Watkins Glenn, former Fleet Admiral and my former VRC Mike Smith and the 10th anniversary of the USS Challenger. All different years which marked different times in my life and those around the region.
Don’t fear, I won’t get all introspective or morose during this bulletin for as we know “the universe abhors a vacuum.” and “time is the fire in which we burn”. There were many cherished moments captured in those CQs and there are many more moments like that to come.
BIG CONGRATS TO THE USS JUSTICE and THE USS MATRIX
Speaking of special moments and history, the 7th Fleet congratulates the USS Justice and the USS Matrix both of whom celebrated two decades of activities as chapters of STARFLEET. Among the items i found in my bag of recovered items was the USS Justice’s first manual among a few other Justice artifacts which I would have loved to have brought to their anniversary dinner a few weeks back (had I been able to attend as planned). Sadly, real life tossed me a curve ball.
I congratulate Mike Stein and his crew. The Justice has had an incredible history of activity as a chapter and force in ST fandom having produced several fan films, hosted the first R7 USO Show at an R7 Conference and has been a fixture at events within the region. That just scratches the surface of the Justice’s many activities.
The USS Matrix noted its anniversary and was one of our first if not our first correspondence chapter in the Region. I’m not sure of that but I recall its long and interesting history and wish I had remembered to wear my USS Matrix pin to the R7 Conference in October. That was a treasured gift from long time Matrix CO Joe Hoolihan that survived Hurricane Sandy as well.
Joe and I shared some past history during the R7 Conference. The Matrix is undergoing an election this year, the results of which I am not aware of but Joe has served as CO for most of the chapter’s time and of course he is a former RC. He is the driving force of the chapter and whatever his future in SF holds, I know he’ll continue to be a valued member of the 7th Fleet and Starfleet.
MUSICAL CENTER SEATS
Like the USS Matrix, the USS Avenger is undergoing a change of command process. Their CO, David Lynch (who recently wed his long time love Jennifer Thompson) is focusing on aspects of his real life and came to the realization that it was time to take a step back from his command duties on the USS Avenger. Currently two people are in contention for the command chair of the oldest chapter in R7 which will note its third decade of activity next year. Whomever steps up in the role of leader, we wish them well.
ENTERING THE SERLING ZONE FOR THE R7 CONFERENCE
Earlier this fall members of the R7 Command Staff and many others had the honor of attending and participating at this year’s R7 Conference hosted by the USS Serling in Binghamton NY. This marked the first time a chapter hosted the conference in quite some time. The Serling did an outstanding job of providing the flavor of their community and the theme of their chapter to those in attendance.
Anne Serling, the daughter of Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame was the special guest of the event and provided us insight about growing up with her iconic dad who sadly died in 1975. Between a fun game of Sci Fi Pictionary, a visit by animals from the Binghamton Zoo and other enjoyable programming attendees had a blast. We thank Lisa Stuckey and her crew for doing such a great job with this year’s conference.The event even featured a guest in the form of R2 Regional Coordinator Jack Eaton perhaps the first time that a conference has a guest RC.
Next year’s conference will be hosted by the USS Richtofen and the USS Pride of Baltimore and I know we’ll be hearing more details about the event which will be held on the first weekend of October.
FUTURE EVENTS, FUTURE CONS
The USS Challenger will host its annual Holiday Cookie Exchange on the first Sunday of December. Watch for posts on the R7 listserv and Facebook for details but basically come with with a batch of cookies, holiday cheer and if you wish, a donation of an unwrapped toy for a holiday toy collection and prepare to have fun and some holiday cheer.
Looking ahead we also have Farpoint coming up in February and Shore Leave in August and several events in between. The Avenger will be announcing their 30th anniversary plans in the months ahead.
KEEP THEM IN YOUR THOUGHTS
Lastly, though I hate to close on a somber note, real life has the tendency to be a bit cruel at times. We have some folks in the region who need our prayers, kind words and best wishes right now. Life isn’t always fair and as we know it comes with ups and downs. For many of us, Starfleet is more than just a fandom playground where we confer on organizational news, Star Trek news and what event we’ll hit next, we are also an extended family stretched out among several states. We can’t always do much but provide our understanding and some kind words when things aren’t going well but sometimes that can go a long way.
We recently saw the relocation of a family who had a long history in their corner of R7 who due to necessity, moved to Florida. We wish the Wolf family well with their relocation and hope they will settle in and become a part of Region 2. We also wish the best and all our support to those suffering a medical crisis.
May you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!