14 F IFTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION SUBSPACE STATIC

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY PARTYAnniversaries are

special occasions to be cel-ebrated. The USS Wernher vonBraun, NCC 72069, has com-pleted its first five year mission,which began as a Galaxy Classstarship on September 25, 1993.The journey between then andnow was a long one, but overallfun. Our journey was com-memorated with a Fifth Anni-versary Celebration on Satur-day, September 26, 1998.

I, as CommandingOfficer, had originally hoped tohold a grandiose affair at the USSpace and Rocket Center. Ithought we’d enjoy the rocketpark during the day, and have acatered banquet dinner andceremony afterwards. However,the crew wanted somethingmore personal, preferably moreaffordable. And since I followthe will of the crew, that’s whatwe did. As it turned out, I thinkthis change of venue was for thebetter.

At the September meet-ing, the plans were made tohave the party at someone’shouse, with grilled burgers andchicken. Invitations were madeand sent out to just over 100people. In addition to directlyinviting all the Alabama Zone 3chapters, Regional CoordinatorKelly Hilliard and MikeHenigan were invited as well.Additionally, everyone wasinvited with a message on theRegion 2 e-mail list. Of course,as often happens, schedulingconflicts or distance preventedmost from attending.

Celebrating our first five years together.

Group photo of everyone at the USS Wernher von Braun Fifth Anniversary Party.Front Row, left to right: Francis Hedrich, Catherine “Kit” Ramsey, Russ McNutt,

Laura Peterson, Michelle Coleman, and Carlo DeShouten.Standing in Back, left to right: Niles Kimbro, Chyrstal Kimbro, James Lowery, Don Daniel,

John S. Lowery, Rebecca Self, Jim Dykes, Richard Trulson, Joey Sloan, Perry Cagle,Dallas Vinson, Jimmy Whatley, and Alice Strange. -Photo by Rebecca Self

USS WERNHER VO N BRAUN, NCC 72069 15

On the night before theparty, a emergency situationarose that prevented us fromhaving the party at the plannedlocation. We could have had itat my house, but it’s located inArdmore,which is 30miles from themost of thecrewmembers.Russ McNutt,the ship’sExecutiveOfficer, cameto the rescue.After securingpermissionfrom his parents to have it at hishouse in Huntsville, phone callsand emergency e-mail transmis-sions were made to informeveryone of the new location.

In the final count, wehad 22 people in attendance,representing 3 different chap-ters. The shuttle Draco sent 7people and the USS Spirit-walker sent 4 people, whichincluded the CO and XO ofboth groups. Also in attendancewas the von Braun’s first CO,Fleet Captain Catherine “Kit”Ramsey.

The festivities started at6 p.m. with general camaraderieand watching of Star Trek:Voyager episodes. Of course,because I was busy printing theawards at the last minute, I was

a bit late. I think they’ve cometo expect that of me though. I’dhate to give them a heart attackby showing up a half hour early.Of course, people were enjoyingtalking to each other and gettingcaught up on pastadventures together.They shared stories thatI hope get submitted tothe newsletter. In fact,they were given theassignment of writingabout their involvementwith the von Braun to beincluded in this issue.They also had the mostrecent (though very late)issue to look at.

When I got there, Ithrew on the coals so we couldstart grilling the food. Peoplebrought plenty of side dishes,drinks, and desserts to share aswell. By 7:30, the first round ofburgers came off the grill. Ofcourse, I’m not known for mycooking skills, and I was a bitworried. James Whatley, XO ofthe Draco, was there to keep mecompany and make sure I didn’tpoison anyone accidentally. Thechicken took a bit longer togrill, but they eventually fin-ished as well. Fortunately, localmember Joey Sloan was a lifesaver for taking over the grillingduties. Not only could he cook,he helped entertain those wait-ing on the patio for food while Iwas busy inside making sure theawards were in order. ThanksJoey!

In these three pictures, Richard Trulson (at left)presents the annual ship awards at the

USS Wernher von Braun Fifth Anniversary Party:

At left, Crewmember of the Year: John Scott LoweryCenter Page, Officer of the Year: Don Daniel

Bottom right, New Member of the Year: Perry Cagle

Photos by Richard Trulson with help from Joey Sloan

16 F IFTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION SUBSPACE STATIC

After dinner finallywound down around 10, wegathered everyone on the patioto bestow the annual shipawards. The nominees are madeby and voted upon by thecrewmembers. I also gave outthe various Commendations ofExcellence that had been stock-piling over the past few monthswhile I got more certificatepaper. The Commendations aregiven to those who do volunteerwork for us or at other events.Perry Cagle, only 12 years old,received the New Member ofthe Year Award. John ScottLowery (1997’s New Memberwinner), received the Crew-member of the Year Award.Don Daniel (1996 New Memberwinner) received the Officer of

the Year Award. Don, whoserves as the von Braun ScienceChief, was also promoted toLieutenant, Senior Grade.

The final presentation Ihad to make was to theCommanding Officer of theUSS Spiritwalker, RebeccaSelf. Their ship was launchedoff us as the shuttle Celestial inAugust 18, 1997. They wereofficially commissioned as aMiranda Class Cruiser on July27, 1998, with the registry NCC31097. I presented Rebeccawith a dedication plaque similarto the one seen on the bridge ofthe USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-D. It lists their ship information,their Command Staff and theirmothership, and pertinentRegional and International

Richard Trulson presentsa commissioningdedication plaque

to the USS SpiritwalkerCommanding Officer,

Rebecca Self. -RS

At right is a close-upof the deckplate. -RT

STARFLEET Officers. It alsoincludes the logos of their ship,their mothership, and ofSTARFLEET.

Then Don and Russcame to the front of the roomand stood on each side of me.They explained that since Idecline eligibility for shipawards, they had somethingspecial for me. They presentedme with a beautiful plaqueinscribed with “In appreciationof 3 years service, U.S.S.Wernher von Braun, FCAPT.Richard L. Trulson”. It’s toppedwith a cold medallion with theTrek chevron with the commandsymbol inside. I was moved totears. I deeply appreciate thisgift, as it means more to methan they’ll ever know.

Below left: People chat at the Anniversary Party. From left to right: Alice Strange,Russ McNutt, Niles and Chyrstal Kimbro, Dallas Vinson, and Carlo DeShouten (sitting). -RS

Below Right: Richard Trulson awards a Commendation of Excellence toCatherine “Kit” Ramsey, the first CO of the Wernher von Braun. -RT

USS WERNHER VO N BRAUN, NCC 72069 9

A brief history of the USS Wernher von Braun, NCC 72069.

WVB HISTORYWith Huntsville,

Alabama’s history in the spaceprogram, you would think therewould have been a Star Trek fanclub here decades ago. After all,the United States rocket pro-gram was started here in Hunts-ville with the Redstone Arsenal.Led by German rocket scientistWernher von Braun, the rocketprogram eventually evolvedinto the space program with thedesign and development of themighty Saturn V rocket thattook men to the moon.

Our own history didn’tbegin until 1992. A group offans attending a Star Trekconvention in Huntsville de-cided to form a local club. Theychose to affiliate with an inter-national Star Trek fan associa-tion called STARFLEET. Overthe months, they began holdingtheir own activities and events,growing as a club. Then onDecember 24, 1992, our littlegroup of friends were launchedas the shuttle Wernher vonBraun, named in honor of the

famed rocket scientist. Ourmotto, “The Dream Began HereIn Reality”, indicates our proudheritage.

The shuttle would serveas a chapter in training over thenext few months. We continuedto grow, performing variouscommunity service and socialactivities. Our mothership wasthe USS Triumph in Miami,Florida. Our mission statementread: “To convene with otherscience-fiction and fantasy fans,to assist others through commu-nity service, to explore therealities and possibilities thatthe universe has to offer, toenjoy the Star Trek universe asno Trekkers have done before.”

Finally, on September25, 1993, the USS Wernher vonBraun was commissioned as afull chapter in STARFLEET.We were the 33rd Galaxy classstarship in STARFLEET, andthe 199th chapter to be formed.But unlike most ships, we werebestowed with a special NavalConstruction Contract number:

The Fifth Anniversary cake. -RT

We reconvened inside totake group pictures. Russ’simpressive plate collectionserved as a beautiful back-ground. People started digginginto the huge, half-sheet anni-versary cake. Some even took ahuge chunk home with them,which I was thankful for so Iwouldn’t gain even moreweight. After another Voyagerepisode, people started to leave.I and a few others, particularlyRebecca (Thanks!), started theclean up process. I finallyheaded for home at 11:30 p.m.

Overall, the AnniversaryCelebration was very successfuland fun. I thank everyone whoattended and brought food ordonations. Thanks also to thosewho sent wishes by e-mail.Again, I’d like to thank RussMcNutt and his parents forcoming to our rescue with theirkind hospitality. Let’s see whatour next five year missionbrings us as we boldly go.

- FCAPT Richard L.Trulson

Richard displays his plaque.Thanks everyone! -RT

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charity donations, such as to theAlabama Council for the Blind.We did various communityservice work, such as helpingwith the annual Panoply artsfestival. (Led by our SecurityDepartment, this was one of ourmost visible, successful, ambi-tious events of the year.) Wedid fun things too, such asmodel rocket launches, socialdinners, movie gatherings, andconvention road trips.

1995 was a period ofdecline for us. Real worldobligations began to take theirtoll on the membership. Peopleeither got busy or moved away,unable to participate as much asthey would like. We continued

The Wernher von Braun’s Certificate of Charter as a commissioned chapter of STARFLEET. -RT

NCC 72069. This is actually avery special date: July 20, 1969,the year mankind landed on themoon. Captain Catherine “Kit”Ramsey served as the ship’sCommanding Officer, and JimMartin served as her NumberOne, the ship’s ExecutiveOfficer.

1993 was the year weestablished ourselves as a fanorganization. We based ourstructure upon the Star Trek TVshow. We had a CommandingOfficer, an Executive Officer,and several Department Chiefs.Each department focused on adifferent aspect, whether it beSecurity (event safety), Engi-neering (prop building), Opera-

tions (fund-raising), and Medi-cal (recruiting) among others.The Communications depart-ment under Commander CliffCollier established the SubspaceStatic, which at the time was amonthly publication. We alsoestablished logos for use onname-tags and T-shirts.

1994 continued ourgrowing phase. By the end ofthe year, we had almost thirtylocal members, about half ofwhich were also STARFLEETmembers. Attendance at meet-ings and activities was averag-ing around twenty people. Weaccomplished some marvelousthings during this period in ourhistory. We made several

USS WERNHER VO N BRAUN, NCC 72069 11

with our usual activities, such asPanoply and conventions. InAugust, the publication of theSubspace Static resumed with anew editor. At STARFLEET’sInternational Conference inAtlanta, Georgia, Kit Ramseywas promoted to Fleet Captainfor her continued hard workwith the ship.

1996 was the yeareverything changed. CaptainRichard L. Trulson was ap-pointed as the new Command-ing Officer in January. Withthat, came several changes andconsolidations in the Depart-ment Chiefs. The SubspaceStatic went to a quarterlyschedule and a new monthlynews postcard, the MissionBriefing was introduced. On topof that, STARFLEET sufferedat the international level due tomismanagement. We continuedour usual events, though partici-pation wasn’t as good as hoped.We were thrilled with thelaunching of our first shuttle onMarch 25, 1996 in Decatur, AL.The shuttle Alabama is underthe command of CommanderBonnie Flanagan. CommanderHenry Vaughn was appointed asthe ship’s new ExecutiveOfficer in June. Bylaws werefinally adopted and the yearcame to a close with Richardbeing promoted to Fleet Captainin December.

1996 also celebrated thethirtieth anniversary of StarTrek in grand fashion: Para-mount sanctioned the mother ofall Star Trek events in Hunts-ville, which was renamed StarTrek, AL in honor of the occa-sion. Both the Von Braun Civic

Center and the U.S. Space andRocket Center were filled tocapacity to host Star Trek: OneWeekend on Earth on Septem-ber 7 and 8. Stars from all fourseries were present, includingall of the original series castmembers. We participated notonly as fans, but also as volun-teers to help make the eventsuccessful. And finally onNovember 22, Star Trek: FirstContact premiered as one of thebest movies in the series. It wasa busy year indeed.

1997 was rather calmcompared to the previous year,though there were a few shiningmoments. The Star Wars trilogywas re-released on the bigscreen with new additions. InMarch, the von Braun wonseveral Region 2 awards includ-ing Newsletter of the Year forthe Subspace Static and Officerof the Year for Security ChiefDustin Williams. Dustin wasalso surprised with a promotionto Captain for work on the ship,regional, and internationallevels. Science Chief DonDaniel received a DistinguishedService Award and Richardreceived a Region Commenda-tion for their work with StarTrek 30. New versions of the T-shirts and name-tags weredesigned and produced. Com-mander Russ McNutt becamethe ship’s new ExecutiveOfficer in July. And our secondshuttle, the Celestial, under thecommand of CommanderRebecca Self, was launched onAugust 18 in Leeds, AL. Wealso continued with the usualmovie parties and conventions,winding down the year with a

Awards that the von Braunhas won over the years. -RT

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December holiday party mark-ing our fifth year together sinceour launching as a shuttle.

1998 started off on asomber note when our firstshuttle, the Alabama wasdisbanded. Lack of interestfrom the crewmembers and lackof time to devote to the groupby the remaining CommandStaff are reasons CommanderFlanagan cited for their dis-banding. We also tried some-thing new as judges at a sci-fithemed Boy Scout dinner,complete with a skit involvingour Picard clone, Wayne Cole.Long time Command Staffmember Commander DallasVinson also transferred to theshuttle Celestial in April.

We’ve received goodnews as well, especially at theannual Region 2 Summit inMarch. We won the BrendaBullock Mothership Awardand was Runner-Up for News-letter of the Year. We alsoplaced Third in the StampedeCompetition. Out shuttleCelestial also won Third Placein the Overseas CouponCompetition. Richard was alsoappointed Vice-Chief ofComputer Operations forRegion 2 and won a RegionCommendation for his workon the Summit web page. Atthe International Conference in

Lubbock, Texas in July, theSubspace Static won Outstand-ing Presentation for a newslet-ter, and was Runner-Up forMost Informative newsletter inthe international Newsletter ofthe Year competition.

The shuttle Celestialcommissioned as a fullstarship in August. We wishthe USS Spiritwalker, NCC31097, well on their journey.The von Braun celebrated itsFifth Anniversary as aSTARFLEET chapter with acookout at XO Russ McNutt’shouse. 23 people helpedcelebrate including crewmem-

bers from the USS Spiritwalkerand shuttle Draco. Annualawards were given and Richardreceived a plaque for his 3 yearsof service to the ship.

Several crewmembersparticipated in local conven-tions in October, such asDragon*Con andCon†Stellation. In late Novem-ber, we mourned the end ofBabylon 5 with a series finaleparty. Richard declined to runfor CO again citing exhaustionand the possibility of movingaway as his reasons. RussMcNutt, who was the only oneto be nominated in elections,passed his vote of confidenceand would become CO startingnext year. Star Trek: Insurrec-tion premiered in December,bringing 1998 to an end.

Our future historyremains to be written.

- FCAPT Richard L.Trulson

The remarkable first COof the Wernher von Braun,

Catherine Ramsey. -RT

Our Picard clone,Wayne Cole. -RT

Former Ops Chief,Dallas Vinson. -RT

Former Medical Chief,Ralph Brigham. -RT

Our Next Generationmember, Perry Cagle. -RT

USS WERNHER VO N BRAUN, NCC 72069 13

CONGRATULATIONSHappy Birthday USS

Wernher von Braun from theUSS Haise! - FCAPT BethanyTheilman (CO, USS Haise,Zone 4 Coordinator)

Congratulations Wern-her von Braun. May yourforesight be as great as yournamesake. Happy Birthdayfrom the crew of the USSChung Fu!

Great! I send my sincereappreciation of your anniver-sary! - Jo Banister (CO USSOkatoma)

Thank you for a wonder-ful evening full of friends andfun at your Fifth AnniversaryParty. May you and your crewenjoy another prosperous fiveyears. - Chyrstal Kimbro (Com-munications Officer, USSSpiritwalker, and former WvBFinance Officer)

Congratulations on yourfirst five years. Here’s to thenext five!!! - CAPT Pat O’Brien(CO, USS Guardian,Zone 1 Coordinator)

Happy birthday to you!Happy birthday to you! Happybirthday dear Wernher vonBraun! Happy birthday to you!- CAPT Rebecca Self (CO USSSpiritwalker)

Congratulations from around the region and Fleet.

There at the beginning.In 1992, my husband got

a promotion. We moved here inAugust, with high hopes, butthen I couldn’t find a job. Itseemed that there were morethan 70 teachers on the listlooking for teaching jobs inmathematics, all of them aheadof me. We were living in amobile home, way out inToney, and I didn’t knowanyone. Furthermore, I had

A LOOK BACKcome from an activeSTARFLEET group in Mont-gomery, and couldn’t believethat there wasn’t one here!

In December, RickStarnes brought John DeLancieto the civic center for a one dayshow. Two of my friends (fromout of town) were in the busi-ness of selling Star Trek col-lectibles, and asked me to comehelp. When I got there, peoplewere already lining up. More

than 2000 people attended thatshow. Best of all, there was aSTARFLEET table takingnames for a new shuttle to beformed in Huntsville!

At the first meeting inJanuary, we found out that we’dalready been launched! Manywonderful people have been andare still members of this group.All we need to do is to continueas we started and this willremain the best ship inSTARFLEET!

- Laura Peterson

Congratulations on yourmomentous milestone! Think ofus while you’re partying! -Danny (XO) and Denby Potts(USS Hephaestus)

Our best to the WVB onit’s 5th Anniversary! May thewinds keep you flying foranother 5 years! - VADMMichael Henigan (Region 2Summit Director)

Best wishes on your 5thAnniversary! - FADM MichaelSmith (Commander,STARFLEET)

- SS

Commander, STARFLEET,FADM Mike Smith. -RT

The appreciation plaque. -RT