Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 16, 1993 TAG: 9305130176
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: IAN SPELLING THE NEW YORK TIMES SYNDICATE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Why the flurry of goodies?
Kitz is president of the Star Trek Association of Towson, a fan club in Towson, Md. The group's 63 members are spearheading Operation: Trek Rec Deck, an effort to beam a little "Trek" magic to the real-life USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the nuclear-powered U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that provided Gene Roddenberry with the name for "Star Trek's" now-legendary starship.
Commissioned in 1961, the Enterprise and its crews served America proudly during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War and on several maneuvers in the Middle East.
The goal of Trek Rec Deck, Kitz says, is to boost the morale of the ship's crew while the Enterprise undergoes a major overhaul. It is currently in dry dock in Newport News, Va., a five-hour drive from Towson.
"We wanted to do something as a thank-you to Gene Roddenberry and the 3,000 crewmen aboard the Enterprise," Kitz says. "We're decorating the captain's cabin, senior officer's lounge and the mess with `Trek' memorabilia and dedicating one area to Gene Roddenberry."
More than $10,000 worth of donated items have been received from private and corporate sources - most notably a set of Pfaltzgraff plates like the ones used in the banquet scene in "Star Trek VI."
The project has won the support of Majel Barrett (Roddenberry's widow), Paramount Pictures, the U.S. government and the ship's captain, Daniel C. Roper.
"Majel has been great," Kitz says. "We couldn't have done this without her. Capt. Roper is a `Trek' fan, and we presented him with Starfleet dress reds at a recent convention."
An interior decorator will arrange the materials, which Kitz hopes will include a piece of a "Next Gen" set, "Trek" costumes and awards, and a library of "Trek" videos.
"Everything should be in place by February 1995," Kitz says. "When it's all done we'll properly dedicate it to Gene Roddenberry."
For more information about Operation: Trek Rec Deck or Shore Leave 15, the association's upcoming convention (July 9-11), contact the association at P.O. Box 6809, Towson, Md. 21285-6809; telephone (410) 821-5563.
Trek Specs
\ Leonard Nimoy has lent his voice to "The Halloween Tree," an animated TV special from Hanna-Barbera based on a story by Nimoy's friend, Ray Bradbury. Airdate and channel still to be determined . . . The "DS9" sound track CD (GNPD-8034; $12.98) and a three-disk box set of the best-selling "Next Gen" sound track CDs (GNP-BX-3006; $38.95) are now available from GNP/Crescendo Records. To order, call (800) 654-7029 . . . Can't find that life-size stand-up poster of Spock, Picard or Geordi? Advanced Graphics sells them for about $25 each. For information, call (510) 432-2262 . . . Get your cards in the mail now. Colm Meaney, who can be seen on video in "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Under Seige," celebrates his 40th birthday May 30 . . . It's official. "Next Gen" and "DS9" have both been renewed for the 1993-1994 television season.
by CNB