Talon’s Edge

December 2009

USS Aquila NCC 42297

 In This Issue:

Ø       Aquila Officers                                                                                                   2

Ø         Unclassifieds                                                                                                    3

Ø         Event Calendar                                                                                                 4

Ø         Briefing Room and Club News (RL)                                                                       4        

Ø       Aquila History The First 10 years, Part 2 (RL)                                                       6        

Ø       Mission Page                                                                                                    10

 Diane Joy Baker

2021 Emerson Ave.

Cincinnati, OH  45239

diane1@zoomtown.com

Subscriptions: 1 - 44¢ stamp = 1 issue

Editor/Submission: Diane Joy Baker Distribution: Rob Langenderfer

Disclaimer

 TALON’S EDGE  is the chapter newsletter of the (USS) Aquila NCC 42297, a non-profit fan organization based in Florence , Kentucky .  All rights and privileges to the terms STAR TREK and all images / references to same are exclusively owned by Paramount Pictures Corp. Likewise, all rights & privileges to the terms and all images & references to STAR WARS (Lucas Film), Dr.Who (BBC), or other programs not specifically named, are exclusively owned by those companies.  This newsletter is not intended to infringe on any copyrights or legal holdings of the writers, producers, Production Company, or others with claims to the programs / images, nor to make profit from them.

Talon’s Edge reprints articles & items only if submitters give proper credit.  (Or the Borg will pay you a visit!)  Thanks for your cooperation.  This publication brought to you by the Propaganda Department.  We serve all your brainwashing needs . . . Resistance is futile! ---djb

Submissions

No more than 2 pages double-spaced.  Please send submissions to the editor at the above address no later than the listed deadline.  If you take submissions from another publication, please list source and all appropriate information.  Talon’s Edge accepts submissions in text form via e-mail:  uss.aquila@juno.com

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U.S.S Aquila Officers

 COMMANDING OFFICER/CAPTAIN/ NEWSLETTER EXCHANGE LIAISON/ SHIP’S HISTORIAN

Rob Langenderfer

859-371-9798

rlangenderfer@yahoo.com uss.aquila1@juno.com

EXECUTIVE OFFICER / MEDICAL CHIEF/

Linda Widener       859-283-9799

SECOND OFFICER/RECRUITING OFFICER/RECORDS OFFICER

Stephanie Rechtin  859-261-4380

wreckedin@gmail.com

SCIENCE Officer / TREASURER/

Brett Strittmatter  513-646-7177 brett_strittmatter@yahoo.com

LIAISON TO STARBASE KARMA/SECURITY CHIEF

Gary Pierce 513-497-5069

MEDIA LIAISON

Aimee Weber 859-356-5731

mermaid44715@yahoo.com

NEWSLETTER EDITOR/ OPERATIONS CHIEF/

Diane Joy Baker 513-521-6039

diane1@zoomtwon.com

TRANSPORTER CHIEF/ Webmaster/

Nelson Charette

859-630-6889 (cell) snelsonc@isoc.net

U.S.S. AQUILA WEB SITE: http://www.snelsonc.com/Aquila.Welcome.html

E-MAIL: uss.aquila@juno.com 

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UNCLASSIFIEDS

MAKE DUKE ENERGY SUPPORT  YOUR STAR TREK/STAR WARS HOBBY?

CALL GARY “SEVEN” AT 513-497-5069.

Ø  STARWARD BOUND INC., P.O. BOX 20064 , Dayton , OH 45420 . Join the science fiction and fantasy association of the Miami Valley ...and beyond. One year membership (from the date the check is received) Individual: $10; Group $12 (2 members + $2 for each additional member living at the same address); corporate $25.

Ø  Steve Murtaugh – Klingon paraphernalia - SIS Hegh tai murDa

      5654 Sandra Drive , Pittsburg , PA 15236 . E-mail: murtausm@msha.gov

Ø  Bumper Stickers & Window Signs - Various sayings or have your own saying put on. Contact Greg Turner gturner359@aol.com for more details.

AREA MEETINGS

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Upcoming Events

Dec. 19^th   book discussion of J. K. Rowling’s Tales of Beedle the Bard  at 1 P.M. followed by the U.S.S. Aquila meeting in the Covington Library Basement Board Room

Jan. 16^th book discussion of Alan Dean Foster’s novelization of the new film Star Trek at 1 P.M. followed by the U.S.S. Aquila meeting in the Covington Library Basement Board Room

U.S.S. Aquila  Briefing Room and Club News for December 2009 by
Rob Langenderfer

Linda Widener, Chris Barkley, Stephanie Rechtin, Diane Baker, Gary Pierce, and Rob Langenderfer attended the Nov. 7, 2009 meeting of the U.S.S. Aquila.  The book discussion that came before the meeting was a short one as only Rob and Chris had managed to obtain a copy of Alan Dean Foster’s novelization of the new Star Trek movie from a bookstore or a library.  It was decided that in December the group would discuss J. K. Rowling’s Tales of Beedle the Bard as previously scheduled and that in January the group would make a second attempt to discuss Alan Dean Foster’s movie novelization.  Since Gary Pilkington was around, we were able to confirm personally that the board room of the Covington library would be our meeting place for Sat. Dec. 19^th and Sat. Jan. 16^th from 11 to 4 for all of our events including our book discussion and meeting and whatever (if anything) we choose to do before the book discussions at 1 P.M.

We also decided that Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Buried Age by Christopher L. Bennett, a local author, would be the book that we would discuss in February.  Chris Barkley had to leave before most of the Aquila ship’s business had been discussed.  In terms of ship’s business we decided to postpone a full discussion and a decision on whether or not to have a club Christmas party or a New Year’s party or an After New Year’s party until the December meeting.  We also confirmed that elections for the command staff would be held in January.  We also began a discussion of possible ideas for the group to consider doing as panels at Millennicon in 2010.  The idea of Star Trek: Parallel Worlds that would focus largely on the new movie but could also encompass the Mirror Universe and other episodes where the crews visited alternate realities and worlds in which history was changed in recognizable ways (like the original series “Bread and Circuses”)  was discussed and received the greatest amount of support from club members.  It would likely be the panel that the U.S.S. Aquila would do as a club.  Since that time, I have had discussions with Millennicon Programming Coordinator Lisa Garrison-Ragsdale online and, rightly or wrongly, I felt unspoken (and most likely unintended) pressure from her to reserve that idea specifically for the Aquila at the convention since it was, after all, the one that

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the most people expressed support for in the group.  That particular topic has been reserved for us, so it is one that we will do as a club at the convention.  Other ideas that people expressed

support for, including Babylon 5, Near-Earth Objects, An Introduction to Erec Rex (on which Kaza Kingsley would not be present but would make every effort to attend if we do that panel although she doesn’t plan to be a panelist at Millennicon this year), Heroes Season by Season and something on the Ender books by Orson Scott Card (specifically Ender’s Game and the new Ender in Exile and Speaker for the Dead which follows Ender in Exile chronologically but was written years before it) were passed on to Lisa, but they were not specifically reserved for our group to do by ourselves.  I also emailed out information to the group for people to be able to pass on their ideas to Lisa.  (As far as I know, no one has done so.)  However, Lisa should be soon coming out with the formal list of ideas, and that will allow people to pick and choose which topics they are interested in doing themselves.  Participation on 3 panels is necessary to get a full complimentary membership to Millennicon.  Science Chief Brett Strittmatter is preparing a proposal that teachers and librarians (or those pursuing the study of education and library science) be allowed a free membership to Millennicon similar to the way they are allowed a free membership at Marcon.  He has emailed the proposal to our group email list. If you have any thoughts on how to make it better before he sends it to Millennicon Chair Christy Johnson, please let him know by email.

We then discussed the upcoming January command staff elections. That got Stephanie and myself thinking that perhaps the Vote of Confidence procedures needed to be revised to mandate more frequent elections than just every two years (as is currently stated). As someone who was around when they were originally proposed and approved 16 and a half years ago, I remember the circumstances that brought about their adoption, and there are several major things with the club that are different now than they were then. It is certainly conceivable that they need to change with the times, like the club itself has done so successfully.  This will be discussed at the December and January meeting and voted on prior to the January elections.  Stephanie has sent out the Vote of Confidence procedures by email.  (Prior to that, in mid-November, she sent out the Officer’s Command College exam to the membership by email so that those who were interested could take the exam since taking and passing the exam is a requirement if one wishes to serve on the command staff.)       

Stephanie and I also felt that an open forum would be appropriate for the club to have in January or February as it is a new year and a new decade and we want to see if people have any ideas that they would like to see the ship do or things that they would think could be done better than they have been done in the past.  For all of these reasons (the vote, the election, the open forum) I would urge all members to make a special effort to attend the  club meeting that will be held on Sat. Jan. 16^th at the Covington library at 502 Scott Boulevard, Covington, KY 41011. The meeting will be held at 2 P.M. following our book discussion of Alan Dean Foster’s Star Trek, and it will be held in the Board room on the ground floor of the library.  You have to get a library staff member to let you down the elevator to the 1^st floor.

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             U.S.S. Aquila: The First 10 Years, Part 2

                                            By Rob Langenderfer

Nov. 1990 – First organizational meeting for the Northern KY shuttle occurs at Crescent Springs LaRosa’s held on the 18^th with 16 members being present including Jennifer Alexander, Janet Burgoon, June Gunter,  Bev Hater,  Sam Hearld, Charlie Kersker, Dennis Schwendemann, Glenna Juilfs, Ben Stull, Linda Widener, Tammy Widener (Linda’s youngest daughter), and Dave Slaughter.  It is decided that the shuttle’s name will be Aquila, which is Latin for “eagle.” (Sam Hearld later wrote an article elaborating on the origin of the name of the club, which was published in the Apr. 2008 Talon’s Edge.)

Dec. 1990 – Second organizational meeting occurs in which the U.S.S. Polaris formally agrees to sponsor the Aquila in Starfleet International as a shuttle (ship in training).  Sam Hearld becomes the ship’s CO by mutual agreement and Joy Menges was appointed 1^st officer.   Joy Menges, Cindy Paugh, Adam Widener, Brian Widener, and Greg Turner are among regular ship’s members who attend their first meeting at this time.

Dec. 1990 – Sam Hearld and Bev Hater and Glenna Juilfs, Glenna’s daughter Pam Paynter, Pam’s daughters Jessica Pence, Crissie Paynter and Nikkie Paynter attend the Christmas party given by Polaris CO Tom Milinski at his house.

Jan. 1991 – First Talon’s Edge newsletter issue published, edited by Joy Menges.  It would come out on a monthly basis.  Tina Widener (Linda’s oldest daughter) attends her first meeting.

 Feb. 1991 – Janet Crouch attends her first meeting.

Mar. 1991 -  Tammy Borchardt and Erin Pence (Glenna’s son) and Vanessa Turner (Greg’s daughter) attend their first meeting as do Tom and Melanie Kummer.  The club collects 1150 items for U.S. soldiers in  Operation Desert Storm, and the club also makes a video to send with the items.  Sam announces in the Apr. 1991 TE that the Aquila has been officially recognized by Starfleet International as a shuttle.  The Aquila plans to contribute, along with the U.S.S. Polaris and the U.S.S. Yorktown to a joint fanzine, Nimbus, planned for late 1991.  Tom Milinski retires as Polaris CO and 1^st officer Joan Riley becomes CO.  Three Aquila members attend Millennicon.

Apr. 1991 – Gary Donner attends his first meeting.  Glenna, Bev, Ben, and Freda Kurtzman attend Marcon. 

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May 1991 – Tony Scott attends his first Aquila meeting, and it is also the first club meeting held in the Crescent Springs Presbyterian Church, which would be the regular club meeting place for almost two years.  Members of the Aquila along with the Polaris work a table at Creation Con that month with Marina Sirtis.  Other members attend.  It is the first major convention that a great many club members all attend together and probably stands as the single largest gathering in club history at a convention.   Cindy, Angela Hellard, Tammy B., Joy, June,  Jennifer, Frank Ketron, Tony, Bev, Glenna, Erin, Ben, Freda, Tina Tindall, Sherry Tindall, Linda, Tina, Tammy W., Adam (Linda’s oldest son), Brian (Linda’s youngest son), Greg, David and Darlene Slaughter (David’s sister), Sam, Dennis, Linda Nebel, and Art Menges attend or work at the convention.  This was THE major event that Cindy recollected from the first couple years of the club’s history, but she also remembered that when she tried to give blood, she was found to have a 102 degree fever and was sent home!  The Federation clubs beat the Klingons in the Blood Feud.  The club makes its first major contact with the IKV Doomslayer (Joe Manning’s ship, which would go on to head the Dover Peace Conferences).  Bev Hater resigns as 2^nd Officer of the Aquila and transfers to the Polaris where she will soon begin a long tenure as its Security Chief and perform many great services to local SF fandom (many of which will be mentioned here).

June 1991 -  Leonard Robinson attends his 1^st meeting.  Cindy Paugh is named 2^nd Officer.  The Aquila’s sister ship, the U.S.S. Camelot,  achieves starship status.

July 1991 – Carson Widener (Linda’s then-husband), Terrie Holahan, Pam Paynter (and I believe Rob Langenderfer, although I’m not listed in the meeting minutes and would not formally join the ship for another year and a half – I know I was at an Aquila meeting where Sam ran the business meeting) attend their first meeting.  It was noted that the Aquila received a distinguished service award from Starfleet for its work on the Blood Feud.  Carolyn Cook was named U.S.S. Polaris liaison to the Aquila.

Aug. 1991 – Linda, Tammy W., and Tina Widener attend Rivercon.  Jessica Pence and Shelley Wagner attend their first meeting. The first editions of the Aquila Crew Member manual and the  Aquila Officer manual were passed out.  Later in the month CO Sam Hearld resigns and Joy Menges becomes Acting CO and 2^nd Officer Cindy Paugh becomes Acting XO with an election scheduled for October.

Sept. 1991 –   Cindy Paugh, Glenna Juilfs, and Darlene Slaughter travel (along with some Polaris members) to Dover, OH to help the IKV Doomslayer and the Shuttle Kestrel of Starfleet International with recruiting members.  The members posed in costume by an Air Force jet and by a theater that the cinema could use for an advertisement.  The later large Dover peace conferences would come from this.

Oct. 1991 -  An election is held to select the new Aquila command staff.  Joy Menges is voted CO, Cindy Paugh XO and Greg Turner 2^nd Officer.  Cindy Paugh is interviewed by the Channel 12 Cincinnati TV station to obtain her reaction to the death of Gene Roddenberry, which occurred during that month.  Nimbus I  is released with contributions by Aquila  members Alice Farley, Glenna Juilfs, and Cindy Paugh.  Joy Menges is one of the co-editors of the fanzine.

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Nov. 1991 -  Terrie Holahan edited a sample issue of Talon’s Edge in addition to Joy doing the regular issue as Joy had asked that someone else take over the newsletter.  At this time in many cases, different division chiefs such as Glenna Juilfs (Operations), Greg Turner (Security) as well as Vanessa Turner from the Cadet Corps published their own division newsletters.  Glenna among others attended Starbase Indy and reported on the many fun things that occurred.

Dec. 1991 – Terrie Holahan becomes the regular Talon’s Edge editor.  Nineteen members were part of a recruiting drive at the premiere of Star Trek VI.  A  Covington Latin High School student (and eventual salutatorian) who would put forth a not insignificant effort in trying to make the ship a more active and fun place to be in the years to come recalls his ticket being on opening night of the film being taken by a rival of his on Villa Madonna Academy’s academic team, its eventual valedictorian, the club’s recruiting officer Jennifer Alexander, as well as being recognized by Greg Turner (the club’s security chief  who was in full Klingon makeup) with the exclamation, “You were at one of our meetings!  (Any guesses who that was?  You only get one!  <grin>)  Ken Paugh, Frank Ketron, Vanessa Turner, Bob James, June Gunter, Tammy Borchardt, Charles Kersker, Glenna Juilfs, Cindy Paugh, Greg Turner, Shelley Wagner, Jennifer Alexander, Linda Widener,   Tammy Widener, Erin Pence, Tina Widener received Certificates of Appreciation for working at the recruiting drive.  Brian and Adam Widener were also there.  Seven people attended a Christmas party at Tammy Borchardt’s home.   Shawn and Heather Borchardt (Tammy’s children) attend their first Aquila  meeting that month. At the December Aquila meeting, Joy Menges, Darlene Slaughter, Glenna Juilfs, Cindy Paugh, Dennis Schwendemann, Russ Walters, Erin Pence, Ken Paugh (Cindy’s husband), Tammy Borchardt and Jessica Pence were awarded certificates for participation in Malts after Midnight.  Malts after Midnight was a group coordinated by Bev Hater that was comprised of users of Tri-State Online, a local computer BBS in which a number of Polaris members and Aquila members as well as many other people participated, and the Malts after Midnight participants included members of the Polaris, Aquila  and other people who were not affiliated with either group.  Basically they would go out to different United Dairy Farmers at midnight and get malts and other tasty treats.  They even made the  Feb. 9, 1992 Cincinnati Enquirer.

Jan. 1992 -  Nothing particularly exceptional happened this month except that the club was invited to attend the first annual Dover Peace Conference set for April.

Feb. 1992 -   The name Aquila won by two votes over its nearest competitor for the name that the ship would keep when it attained starship status.  The Aquila crew also selects Pepper as the whale it wishes to adopt.  Alan Wright attends his first meeting.  By this time Tammy Widener had become Stampede Coordinator and received a promotion for it.

Mar. 1992 – The Aquila Cadet Corps, under the stewardship of Linda Widener, is announced to be the largest division on the Aquila and the biggest Cadet Corps in Region 1 of Starfleet.  All throughout this time, division chiefs are preparing formal written reports that are regularly sent to the command staff and to the regional division chiefs in Starfleet.   The command staff in turn write reports for Starfleet.  The club would never have so much paperwork as it did when it prepared to apply for starship status. 

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Apr. 1992 – Glenna Juilfs won 2^nd prize in the costume contest at a recruiting drive at Forest Fair Mall in late March.  Nine members (Cindy and Ken Paugh, Greg Turner, Tammy Borchardt, Leonard Robinson, Erin and Jessica Pence, Russ Walters, and Glenna Juilfs) attended the Dover Peace Conference in April.  More than fifty people attended the Malt Run at the convention that was the biggest Malt Run ever held at that time.  Thirteen members from the U.S.S. Polaris attended the convention as did one from the U.S.S. Camelot.  The convention featured a formal flag ceremony in which Glenna participated as a representative of the Romulan Star Empire, a national Romulan club.  This convention  in particular was a place where friendships were forged between people from many different clubs, and many memorable and fun (and funny) events and miscellaneous occurrences happened, things that Glenna Juilfs would be especially good at recording in her departmental (and later the club) newsletter.  The shuttle blueprints, having been completed, were on sale at the club meeting this month, as was the Gene Roddenberry tribute book.  At this time, the club meetings were long and did not contain much Star Trek or SF news or SF talk, but a great deal of the material was Starfleet-related.  There was not often even much talk of activities, but the formality and reports given at the meeting contributed toward the club attaining starship status.  There were often mega-division meetings with the Polaris.

May 1992 – A total of 33 members and 4 visitors were present at the meeting, which was pretty typical for the ship at that time.

June 1992 – This meeting netted 26 members and 6 visitors, and Polaris CO Joan Riley noted that the Aquila was ready for starship status.  Tammy Borchardt hosted an impromptu ST:TNG  season 5 finale party at her house on June 19 attended by several people.   On June 26 Cindy hosted an Operations Department meeting at her house. 

July 1992 -  Glenna Juilfs was appointed 3^rd officer of the ship.  She also became the ship’s activities coordinator.  Cindy hosted the club meeting at her house that month, the first of several that she would host over the years.  She also hosted an Operations department meeting that month.  At that time, divisions in the club were large enough that they sometimes had their own separate meetings.  Linda, who became Medical Chief that month (a position she still holds today, 17 years later – the longest current post on the ship filled by a member), would write letters to the members of her division on a monthly basis to stay in contact.  Tammy Borchardt replaced her as Cadet Corps Commander.   At the end of the month (on July 26, 1992) the paperwork that the club needed to send in to apply for starship status was sent out although due to Starfleet misplacing the paperwork (which, thankfully Joan Riley had made an extra copy of), the Aquila would not receive their official notice that they had achieved starship status until Nov. 19, 1992 (with the U.S.S. Aquila’s commissioning date being retroactive to Aug. 15, 1992 to make up for the lost paperwork).   The club started to be part of a newsletter exchange program this month. 

Mission Page                                                                     10

USS Aquila

NCC 42297

Talon’s Edge

The Wings of Tomorrow”

Editor : Diane Joy Baker

2021 Emerson Ave.

Cincinnati, OH  45239

E-Mail:

uss.aquila@juno.com

The USS Aquila is an independent science fiction and fantasy fan club based in Florence, KY and modeled on the TV series Star Trek.  By coming together in practicing the Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations credo as outlined in the Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry, we can rejoice in our differences as well as our commonality, and benefit as human beings as we perpetuate the ideals portrayed in Star Trek.

While pursuing these ideals, the club members discuss, debate, and share ideas and memories about all things SF and fantasy. They include books, movies, TV shows, games, and comics.