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!

SUB SPACE CHATTER:
The Memorial Day Weekend 2014 Edition
By Adm. Bob Vosseller, Vice Regional Coordinator

As we reflect today on the occasion of remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for defending our great nation and take a break from our regular routine to enjoy the company of friends and family, I felt it might be a good time to release another edition of Sub Space Chatter.

We have a lot to report and with the summer having arrived, we’ve got a lot coming up to look forward to.

RC WAYNE AUGUSTSON TO START NEW TERM AS REGIONAL COORDINATOR
As you know Vice Admiral Wayne Augustson has been reconfirmed with a strong turnout of votes as our regional coordinator. (Hurray, I guess that means I still have the job as VRC despite all I did while he was away at Disney World a few weeks back).
Wayne and I thank the members of Region 7 who have shown your faith in us and the entire regional staff in leading the 7th Fleet during these last several terms. We’ve always sought to serve you to the best of our ability, informing you of all the important news of our parent organization, building morale and unity among this corner of Starfleet, constantly reviewing and updating regional policies and organizational practices and trying new things when it comes to joint chapter operations and regional activities.
Granted, we sometimes fall short of our aims but I feel we’ve brought a nice record of stability to R7 and we look forward to continuing that in the next two years. We officially start our new term in July. Normally, that would mean Shore Leave but as we know, Shore Leave has moved to August and we can’t wait for the next Shore Leave to bring so many of us together.

CREATION CON BRINGS SF CHAPTERS TOGETHER
In April, at least six chapters of R7 assembled for a highly enjoyable Creation Convention in Cherry Hill NJ. It provided a fun setting with guests like Kate Mulgrew, Terry Farrell, Tim Russ, Max Grodencheck, Aaron Eisenberg and Nichelle Nichols.
Some innovative ideas made the con more enjoyable and the guests proved entertaining. Well, most of them anyway. While autograph costs seemed astronomical many good times were had including a Saturday morning lunch at Friendly’s that few of us who attended will forget. Watch for all the details in a future CQ article that will cover all the lunacy.

TREK OLYMPICS RETURNS
Earlier this month, members of several chapters in Maryland and one from NY enjoyed another beautiful day spent eating and playing games during the 2014 Trek Olympics.
This year we had four chapters from the region participate. USS Pride of Baltimore CO Lt. General Gary M. Ensey Jr. reported that along with his chapter, the Richthofen the Matrix and the NY based chapter USS Serling enjoyed the day.
The results of the games are as follows:
He’s Dead Jim (egg toss)
First place – Pride of Baltimore
Second place – Serling
Third place – Matrix

Tribble Toss (bean bag toss)
First place – Matrix
Second place – Richthofen
Third place – Serling

Ahn’Voon Challenge
First place – Matrix
Second place – Serling
Third place – Richthofen

Save Odo
First place – Pride of Baltimore
Second place – Richthofen
Third place – Serling

Phaser Range
First place – Pride of Baltimore
Second place – Matrix
Third place – Serling

Data Face
First place – Matrix
Second place – Serling
Third place – Pride of Baltimore

Total:
Fourth Place: USS Richthofen
Third Place: USS Serling
Second Place: USS Pride of Baltimore
First Place: USS Matrix (with support from PoB members)

Gary thanked everyone who came out for the annual event. “We hope to see more of the region come down next year!”

PICNICS, BBQs and ANNIVERSARIES
Many chapters of R7 are planning summer picnics, BBQs. Some of them, such as the USS Avenger and USS Challenger note these occasions as part of our own anniversaries. The USS Avenger’s picnic will celebrate 29 years as a Starfleet chapter on the last weekend of June while the USS Challenger will note our 26th year of service on July 5th at a new location. See our respective Facebook page and R7 Facebook and the R7 website for details. The USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Justice are also among those planning picnics in the weeks to come.
These events are special occasions that bring many SFR7 members together each summer. They allow us to catch up with things both Fleet, fandom and real life related. I for one look forward to seeing many of you and I hope to travel beyond the Jersey Shore in the weeks and months to come.

SEE THAT LIGHTPOST UP AHEAD, YOU ARE ENTERING THE R7 CONFERENCE ZONE
In October, the USS Serling will host this year’s Region 7 Conference. It is a place where we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Starfleet, discuss how our chapters can better operate and learn from each other and how as a region we can improve ourselves. We also have plenty of fun and laughs and the conference is for those of ensign rank (or lower) to admirals.
R7 Command is very pleased that a chapter is running this year’s conference and that next year another team of SF R7 members will be running the show. As in years past, R7 Command has run summits (smaller conferences) and last year ran a full fledged conference. Now we’re getting back to how things have been done in the past and we commend those who have stepped up to take on this responsibility. To register see the R7 website, the R7 Facebook page and the USS Serling’s special R7 Conference Facebook page.a

ETERNAL CON COMING
The USS Britannic will be heading up a recruitment operation at Eternal Con in Long Island in the weeks to come. This marks the first year for such a full fledged effort and Wayne and his crew are looking forward to it.
Thanks for reading this latest bulletin. We look forward to announcing the R7 Award winners (yes we know they have already been named) but the awards will be presented at the Starfleet meeting at Shore Leave. We are also planning to run some panels at Shore Leave and we’re also planning to get together at the Silver Springs Mining Company for a 40th Starfleet Anniversary gathering.

I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. See you soon.

Forwarded from the R7 Yahoo Group:

Hello everyone,

Wayne has asked that I extend the Awards deadline until April 7. So please forward you entries by that time. Thanks!

Doris Hutley
Awards Director