Despatch
You may be looking for Despatches, a newsletter community on LiveJournal for the Age Of Sail fandom.
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Despatch/Despatch |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Maureen Bourns (Wilson) (aided by Rosemary Ullyot & Alicia Austin), then Ruth Berman, then Sharon Emily, then Gail Saville and Barbara Metzke |
| Type: | |
| Date(s): | October 1968-December 1980 |
| Frequency: | roughly quarterly |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Despatch is a publication of the Mark Lenard International Fan Club, a club that was based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. It contains fiction, non-fiction and photos of Mark Lenard. The title alternates between "The Despatch" and "Despatch." There are 44 issues.
It is one of the very earliest Star Trek fiction zines published, and one of the first to feature fanfiction. For others, see List of Star Trek TOS Zines Published While the Show Was Still On the Air.
Contributors
Contributors of art work included Alicia Austin Terry Austin, George Barr, Gail Barton, Tim Courtney, Jane Dalley, Daphne Hamilton, Marg Harris, Marilyn Hawkes, C. Lee Healy, Greg Jein, Tim Kirk, Chris Lofthus, J. Murdock Mathew, MER, Joyce Muskat, Mary Ellen Rabogliatti, Vicki Skidmore, Dawna Snyder, Cara Sherman Tereno, Anthony Tollin, Donna Wilson, and Ellen Winder, among others.
Contributors of cartoons included Paula Nass, among others.
Contributors of articles included Ruth Berman, Maureen Bourns, Lee Burwasser, Paula Crist, Dorothy Jones Heydt, Devra Michele Langsam, Carol Lee, Shirley Maiewski, Sheryl McNevin, Ev Turner, Rosemary Ullyot, and Maureen Wilson, among others.
Poetry and limericks were contributed by Jane Aumerle, Ruth Berman, Jane Dalley, Shirley Meech, Nan Miller, and Mary Ellen Rabogliatti, among others.
Filk songs were contributed by Marion Lois Turner.
Fiction was contributed by Doris Beetem, Ruth Berman, Judith Brownlee, Rusty Hancock, Pat Kienly, Jean Lorrah, Nancy Ann Miller, Susan Price, D. Carol Roberts, Eileen Roy, and Norma M. Smith, among others.
Other writing was contributed by Astrid Anderson, Kay Anderson, Ruth Berman, Jane Dalley, Denise Grushon, Daphne Ann Hamilton, Dorothy Jones Heydt, Barbara Lawrence Maiewski, among others.
Despatch featured reprints from the fanzines Babelian Council, Eridani Triad, Pastaklan Vesla, Plak-Tow, Spockanalia, ST-Phile, and T-Negative.
Editors
Ruth Berman was this zine's editor up to issue #25, and perhaps the entire series. There is a large gap between issues after issue #25, and a review said that Sharon would be taking over in "the summer." Whether Sharon did is unknown, and the large space between issues around 1975 and 1976 may represent some leadership change. Or not.
In 1977 (possibly earlier), Gail Saville and Barbara Metzke took over as editors.
Berman commented on this zine in 2017:
Despatch – the Mark Lenard Fan Club was founded (and the Despatch, its newsletter, edited for its first years) by Maureen Bourns (Wilson), aided by Rosemary Ullyot & Alicia Austin. They happened to write to him to ask permission to start a fan club for him just when he heard that he was going to be a regular in the cast of a new show, “Here Come the Brides.” Left to himself, he did not feel that it meant much for a freelance actor to have a fan club, but as a regular on a series, he felt that a fan club could help win viewers to the show as a whole and to his role in it, and he gave them permission to start the club, staying in contact with them to give them cooperation, news, etc. About the time the show went off the air, Maureen (who had gotten engaged to be married) decided she wanted to focus on other things, but thought it would be a pity to see the fan club end, and asked if there was a volunteer to take over running it. I liked Lenard’s acting, and especially his acting on “Star Trek” a lot, and thought it would be fun to volunteer to take over the club, and use its “Despatch” as a place to reprint some of the outstanding fan-fiction about the Romulan Commander and Sarek that was coming out in various fanzines. Also, when I lived in Los Angeles and was working for Lincoln Enterprises, I had enjoyed getting three opportunities to meet Lenard, once when he attended a sciencefiction con in Berkeley that was attended by Maureen, who held a party there for his fans, once when Dorothy Jones and Astrid Anderson and I went to a production of “a Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in which he played Oberon, and he joined us for conversation and coffee after the performance, and once when Maureen came to town and invited me to join her on a visit to the set of “Here Come the Brides.” So I volunteered to take over the fan-club, and did have a lot of fun reprinting assorted outstanding Lenard-role-based stories. (I didn’t have much contact with Lenard while doing that – HCtB had gone off the air then, and he didn’t have a series he felt he ought to be promoting if he could.) After three years, I’d reprinted the stories I especially wanted to reprint, and wanted to focus more on my “T-Negative” fanzine, so I turned the club over to Sharon Emily, and it ran several years more, first with her, and then with Gail Saville & Barbara Metzke.[1]
Issue 1
Despatch 1 was published in October 1968.
Issue 2
Despatch 2 was published in December 1968.
Issue 3
Despatch 3 was published in February 1969.
Issue 4
Despatch 4 was published in April 1969. (Yearbook)
Issue 5
Despatch 5 was published in June 1969.
Issue 6
Despatch 6 was published in August 1969. There is also an August Addendum.
Issue 7
Despatch 7 was published in October 1969.
Issue 8
Despatch 8 was published in June 1970.
Issue 9
Despatch 9 was published in October 1970. (Yearbook)
Issue 10
Despatch 10 was published in December 1970.
Issue 11
Despatch 11 was published in Jan/Feb 1971.
Issue 12
Despatch 12 was published in August 1971.
Issue 13 (1-13)
Despatch 13 was published in Jan 1970. (Yearbook)
Despatch Collected
Despatches collects selections from issues #1-#13 and contains 65 pages and was published in 1986.
It includes the three years' worth of content edited by Maureen Bourns, the fan club's founder. This reprint is mostly complete, but omits a few items available elsewhere or not dealing with either Lenard or Star Trek. Featured are "Here Come the Brides" and visits to the set, also Sarek and the Romulan Commander.
table of contents of #1-#13
interior page of issue #1-#13, artist is Marilyn Hawkes, reprinted from issue #12, The Romulan Commander
interior page of issue #1-#13, sample page
interior page of issue #1-#13, photos
Reactions and Reviews: Despatch Collected
This is a reprint of 'most of" Despatches, the newsletter of the Mark Leonard International Fan Club, collected in one volume. Not being much of a fan club type myself, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this zine. This volume contains wonderful cartoons, clear repros of a lot of interesting photos, and some entertaining anecdotes. Repro is gorgeous and it is well-designed.[2]
Issue 14
Despatch 14 was published in March 1973 (reprinted January 1977) and is 6 pages long. It appears that at some point, issues #14, #15, and #16 were reprinted and bound together in a single 22-page issue.
It includes articles, letters of comment, a crossword puzzle, reviews...
- A Speculation on Spock's Family by Sandra Miesel (93) (reprinted from Spockanalia #2; also in Vulcan Reflections)
- other unknown content
cover of issue #14
from issue #14
from issue #14
Issue 15
Despatch 15 was published in May 1973 and reprinted in 1979. It contains 8 pages. It appears that at some point, issues #14, #15, and #16 were reprinted and bound together in a single 22-page issue.
It includes articles, letters of comment, con reports by Carol Lee, Maureen Wilson ("David Gerrold was much nicer than I've ever seen him"), and Shirley Maiewski for NY STCon/International Star Trek Convention, a poem by Jane Dalley called "Spock's History,"
sample page
Issue 16
Despatch 16 was published in summer 1973 and contains 8 pages. It appears that at some point, issues #14, #15, and #16 were reprinted and bound together in a single 22-page issue.
It includes articles, letters of comment, a crossword puzzle, reviews, and one fan story (“Of Krekcakes, Muscles and Nerves” by Nancy Ann Miller). There is also an account by Paula Crist and Ev Turner of a set visit with Lenard.
front cover of issue #16, artist is "MER"
back cover of issue #16
Issue 17
Despatch 17 was published in Fall 1973 (reprinted January 1980) and is 19 pages long.
- Here Come The Brides theme song.
- Here Come The Brides episode list from the first season (3 pages)
- The Day The Mirth Stood Still, story by Susan Price (7.5 pages)
- The Ambassador and the Lady by Norma M. Smith, reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #4
- Is There an Alternate, cartoon by Paula Nass, reprinted from Babelian Council #3 (2 pages)
- Concerning Sehlats, article by Lee Burwasser, reprinted from Spockanalia #5 (2 pages)
- Letters, etc.
- art by Marg Harris, Mary Ellen Rabogliatti, Terry Austin, Tim Kirk, Alicia Austin, Cara Sherman (a reprint of the front cover of Romulan Wine #2)
filk
"Concerning Sehlats"
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 17
See reactions and reviews for The Ambassador and the Lady.
[art]: Mark Lenard isn't as hard to draw as Kirk. Nice use of spatter on the reprinted cover. Sarek looks a little puffy in the chops there — must be allergic to Tellarites. A good likeness, though. Good illo of Gav by Tim Kirk, whose caricatures in The Trouble with Tribbles were charming. Did you stencil this or did Tim? [Neither — a wonder of modern science called the electrostencil machine.] "Is There an Alternative" by Paula Nass belongs in the magnetic corridor between universes along with Lazarus 1 and 2. Marge Harris' e-stencil is an interesting experiment, but it doesn't look like Lenard. Austin's little illo on p. 37 is one of the worst things I've seen him do.[3]
Issue 18
Despatch 18 was published in Winter 1974 and contains about 32 pages.
- Mimir's Well, part 1, story by Doris Beetem (reprinted from Eridani Triad #2)
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #2)
- Seattle Country by Daphne Ann Hamilton
- art by Greg Jein (reprinted cover of T-Negative #13)
- Re Marks
- reprint clipping from Corvina Valley Tribune
- You Said It, letters of comment
- art by Mary Ann Rabogliatti
- Assorted News Notes
Issue 19
Despatch 19 was published in Spring 1974.
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from Plak-Tow #3)
- Mimir's Well, part 2 by Doris Beetem (reprinted from Eridani Triad #2) (2)
- two poems, "From the Files of the Terran Bureau of Investigation" by Dorothy Jones, "To My Commander" by Jane Dalley, illos by Connie Faddis (reprinted from Spockanalia #5) (14)
- Seattle Country by Daphne Hamilton, song lyrics (16)
- Two Limericks by Ruth Berman and Nan Miller (16)
- When You Were Five Years Old, poem by Shirley Meech, illos by Alicia Austin (reprinted from ST-Phile)
- The Romulus Incidents, non-fiction by Ruth Berman (reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #2) (17)
- review of "Balance of Terror," revised final draft by Laura T. Basta (reprinted from Babel #1 (23)
- You Said It, letters of comment, including a scathing one about The Ambassador and the Lady (23)
- Spiral Puzzle, a puzzle by Helen Busch (28)
- Mark This and assorted news notes (29)
Issue 20
Despatch 20 was published Summer 1974. Reprinted 1982 and 2009.
- Spiral Puzzle by Helen Busch
- The Romulus Incidents by Ruth Berman (from Pastaklan Vesla #2)
- When You Were Five Years Old by Shirly Meech (from ST-Phile #1)
- You Said It, letters of comment
- Question Mark
- Footnotes to "The Romulus Incidents" by Ruth Berman
- To My Commander by Jane Dalley
- reprint (Richard K. Shull article) "Balance of Terror" revised final draft review by Laura T. Basta
- assorted news notes
- Mark This
- artwork: Mary Ann Rabogliatti (reprinted cover of T-Negative #23
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from ST-Phile #1)
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from from ST Concordance)
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #2)
- Marge Harris added to reprint: bacover photo page: Col. Cardozo from "Mission: Impossible," replacing a tracing by Ruth Berman of Shirley Meech's photo-off-the-tv-set; map & Romulan Commander ("Balance of Terror")
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla 2)
Issue 21
Despatch 21 was published in Fall 1974 (reprinted 1984) and contains 18 pages.
Reprint note: omitted are info on membership price raise, ADA chair man address, membership list, and a newspaper copy of photo of Bolt Brothers which did not run well. Added is photo page of better shot of Bolt Brothers, along with Aaron Stempel with Jason Bolt and Sarek with Amanda. Also added photo page of Aaron and Jason from "His Sister's Keeper."
- Soul Review, update on David Soul by Cheryl Be a Loucks (3)
- Limerick by Ruth Berman (3)
- The Voyage by Barbara Lawrence Maiewski, and Ruth Berman (4)
- AGS Award (6)
- Let Me Count the Ways, part 1 by Judith Brownlee (reprinted from Eridani Triad #2) (7)
- About Planet of the Apes (15)
- Despatch Index #'s 14-20 (16)
- newspaper clipping: "Dollars Make Mark Run" by Harriet Peters (18)
- ReMarks by Kay Anderson (18)
- puzzle answers by Helen Busch (18)
- art by Mary Ellen Rabogliatti
- art by Jane Dalley
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted Pastaklan Vesla #1 back cover)
inside page from issue #21, artist is Jane Dalley
Issue 22/23/24
Despatch 22/23/24 was published in Winter 1975/Summer 1975 and contains 26 pages.
- Let Me Count the Ways, part 2 and conclusion by Judith Brownlee (reprinted from Eridani Triad #2)
- Limerick by Mary Ellen Rabogliatti
- Limerick by Ruth Berman
- newspaper clipping, article by Charles Witbeck
- very small Star Trek quiz by Denise Grushon
- Worthy to Be Loved by D. Carol Roberts (reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #2)
- news
- You Said It, letters
- As I Was Out Riding, a Planet of the Apes Songbook excerpt by Marion Lois Turner
- art by Alicia Austin (reprinted from Spockanalia #5)
- art by C. Lee Healy (reprinted from T-Negative #14)
- art by Chris Lofthus (reprinted cover of T-Negative #7)
- art by Mary Ellen Rabogliatti, Vicki Skidmore, Jane Dalley, Dawna Snyder
- Miss Essie's Song, transcribed by Ruth Berman
- Planet of the Apes publicity filler
- Prologues by Pat Kienly, a short story giving ulterior motives to the Romulan commander's reaction to Spock (reprinted from T-Negative #12)
- The Offering by Jane Dalley, an prelude to 'Journey to Babel,' gives an insight into the Tellarites (reprinted in Star Trek Nuts & Bolts #14/15 and The Best of Amanda and Sarek)
- a special report on Robert Brown (Here Come the Brides and as Lazarus on ST episode "Alternative Factor")
- short articles on Mark Lenard's work
inside page from issue #22/#23/#24, sample page
inside page from issue #22/#23/#24, art by Chris Lofthus, reprinted cover of T-Negative #7
inside page from issue #22/#23/#24, art by Anthony Tollin, reprinted from T-Negative #12
inside page from issue #22/#23/#24, sample page
inside page from issue #22/#23/#24, sample page
Issue 25
Despatch 25 was printed in Fall of 1975 (reprinted 1980) and is 20 pages long.
It includes a 7-page story reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #4 called ‘The Commander,’ ‘If I Should Wake Before I Die’, a three-page story, 'Oi Vaycon' (reprinted from T-Negative #6), letters, a limerick, notes and a 2-page newspaper reprint: “Actor likes ‘bad’ roles."
- AGS Award and Announcement
- The Commander by Norma Smith, 7 page story reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #4
- If I Should Wake Before I Die by Doris Beetem (3 pages)
- some assorted notes
- Limerick for "Why Buy a Cow" by Ruth Berman
- Oi Vaycon, con report by Ruth Berman, reprinted from T-Negative #6
- club and related notes
- newspaper clipping "Actor Likes 'Bad' Roles" by Joan E. Vadeboncoeur
- You Said It, Letters
- Despatch Index #'s 21-24
- art by Cara Sherman
- art by Gail Barton, reprinted from T-Negative #10
- art by Alicia Austin, reprinted from Plak-Tow #10, Spockanalia #4
- art by Anthony Tollin, reprinted from T-Negative #6
- art by George Barr, reprinted in The Star Trek Concordance
- art by Ruth Berman, "The Centurion's Death"
- art by Dawna Snyder, J. Murdock Mathew, Mary Ellen Rabogliattti
from issue #25, Cara Sherman
from issue #25
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 25
Do you have to be a Mark Lenard fan to enjoy this zine? No, but it helps. As with all group publications, some of the jokes and references aren't clear to the outsider. Still, fro the ST fan there is quite a bit here of interest. There are two stories, both featuring Mark Lenard in TV roles. In "The Commander" by Nora Smith, we are given the life story of the Romulan commander from 'Balance of Terror," as told by his old friend the Centurion. It is a sad, touching story with an ironic ending. "If I Should Wake Before I Die" by Doris Beetem, is about Rogloff, a character Mark Lenard played in an episode of Hawaii 5-0. The ST tie-in here is that the wife he thinks is dead and reappears and reveals her identity as a Vulcan woman. It's better than it sounds because it is well-written. Other features include a letter column, club notes, the membership list, and a reprint of a con report by Ruth Berman on the 1968 World SF Convention in Berkeley (which I found much more interesting than the average con report). For anyone even mildly interested in Mark Lenard and the roles he has played, you can't go wrong with this one. Starting next summer, the new editor will be Sharon Emily.[4]
Issue 26/27
Despatch 26/27 was published in Winter 1976/Spring 1977, contains 24 pages, reprinted in Spring 1980.
- Ghosts by Rusty Hancock, 4-page story reprinted from Pastaklan Vesla #3
- It Seemed The Logical Thing by Ruth Berman, 2-page story reprinted from T-Negative #4
- In Re "His Sister's Keeper" by Ruth Berman, verse
- You Said It, letters
- Frater Ave by Jane Aumerle, verse
- The Trap, verse by Ruth Berman
- art by Joyce Muskat, Alicia Austin, Mary Ellen Rabogliatti, J. Murdock Mathew, Greg Jein, Dawna Snyder, Anthony Tollin, Jane Dalley
- Echoes Through Time by Eileen Roy (7-page story that is a Star Trek TOS/Here Come The Brides crossover ) (reprinted in Paladin #1)
- A Letter by by Dorothy Jones Heydt and Astird Anderson, reprinted in T-Negative #8, a tag-end to their Orloff/Conway series but obtains Sarekian materials
- Mid-Spring Night's Dream, or, Journey to Backstage by Ruth Berman and Dorothy Jones Heydt, article reprinted from Plak-Tow #9
inside page from issue #26/27
inside page from issue #26/27
inside page from issue #26/27
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 26/27
In 1985, a fan commented that "Echoes Through Time" was very similar to some of the pro novel Ishmael:
The only problem I had with Ms. Hambly's novel, is that I found it very similar to two short stories written years ago. The first one is "Mind Sifter," written by Shirley S. Maiewski, published in STAR TREK: THE NEW VOYAGES by Bantam Books. In the "Mind Sifter," it is Kirk who is captured by the Klingons, tortured with the mind sifter, and winds up on Earth in the past. The second story is "Echoes Through Time" by Eileen Roy, published in the Mark Lenard International Fan Club zine, Despatch, issue 27. In this short story, the year is 1869, and Aaron Stemple is in the woods outside of Seattle, when he runs into Sarek and Amanda. Stemple takes them to his cabin outside of town and becomes friends with them during their short stay, Sarek volunteering to take a look at Stemple's mills' bookkeeping. As in ISHMAEL, Amanda is discovered to be a descendent of Stemple! [5]
Issue 28
Despatch 28 was published in Summer 1976.
cover of issue #28
Issue 29
Despatch 29 was published in Fall 1976 and contains 29 pages.
cover of issue #29
- Logical Alternaitve by Jean Lorrah
- other unknown content
Issue 30
Despatch 30 was published in Winter 1977 and contains 37 pages.
cover of issue #30
Issue 31
Despatch 31 was published in Spring 1977 and contains 21 pages.
- "The Only Truth I Know is You" Planet of the Apes fiction, first part, Ann Marie Kitz's Urko story
cover of issue #31
art for issue #31, a Planet of the Apes story
Issue 32
Despatch 32 was published in October 1977 and contains 38 pages. Editors were Gail Saville and Barbara Metzke.
- Skimmed Off the Top (messages from presidents, past and present)
- STA Reports
- The Sheriff's Out of Town, poem by Susan Wyllie
- Longfellow, Inc, poetry from readers
- ML MsI Roles.. Or, How not to Miss ML on Mission: Impossible
- You Said It: Letter Column
- The Only Truth I Know Is You, part two of Ann Marie Kitz's Urko story
Issue 33
Despatch 33
cover of issue #33
Issue 34
Despatch 34
cover of issue #34
Issue 35
Despatch 35 was published in August 1978 and contains 37 pages.
Cover art by Linda Lindsey, interior art by Susan Wyllie.
No editors are listed per se, but those tasks were presumably carried out by the Fan Club co-presidents, Gail Saville and Barbara Metzke, who are the only officers listed for this issue.
Issue 36
Despatch 36 was published in 1978. No editors are listed per se, but those tasks were presumably carried out by the Fan Club co-presidents, Gail Saville and Barbara Metzke, who are the only officers listed for this issue.
- T'Pring and Sarek by Ruth Berman (reprinted in And Starry Skies and The Best of Amanda and Sarek)
- Cover art by Fred Metzke, father of one of the editors. All interior art by Mary Stacy-MacDonald.
- other content by Kathy Manns, Elaine Norwood, Mary Stacy-MacDonald, Susan Wyllie, Craig Nelms, and Urko Cootes.
Issue 37
Despatch 37 was published in January 1979 (though it did not get sent out until April 1979).
- Skimmed Off the Top (2)
- A Pleasant Journey to Chimera (6)
- what Is This? An ML Convention? (7)
- Mark-a-Word and Scrambled Appearances Puzzles (12)
- Pickle (13)
- Journey to Mabel (14)
- Always On Their Minds (19)
- Crossword Puzzle (20)
- The Impossible Wish (22)
- Back Issues Ordering Information (25)
- Re: Mark and Philanthropic Phootnotes [typo?] (26)
- Mark's Remarkable Past Articles (28)
- Suicide MUST Be Painless (31)
- Mark's Spanish Urko Article (35)
- Mark's Spanish Urko Article in English (36)
- Quick Limerick Treats, and That's No Way to Treat a Monkey Blues (37)
- ML Art (38)
- Ode to Urko (40)
- The Centurion (40)
- Will the Real Urko Please Stand Up? (41)
- Thoughts on Despatch #36 (42)
- You Said It: MLIFC Letter Column (43)
- The Interrupted Wedding (49)
- Cross/Marks (55)
- The Bully (57)
- Song Dedication (64)
- The REAL Secrt of the the Secret Empire (65)
- Lament of the Romulan Commander's Wife, and To Urko (66)
- Question Mark (67)
- Genuine Honourary Sightings (69)
- Commercials and Paid Political Announcements (70)
- A Discussion with Sarek (71)
- Annual MLIFC Family Census (72)
- Photo/Art Credits (75)
Issue 38
Despatch 38 was published in May 1979 ("or thereabouts").
- Skimmed Off the Top (2)
- A Note from Mark (4)
- A Little Advice for the Emperor (10)
- Maybe Next Time (11)
- You Said It: MLIFC Letter Column (15)
- A Puzzle Poem (21)
- Terror at Federation Headquarters (23)
- Back Issue Ordering Information (31)
- The Mind Sifter (32)
- Trade Mark (36)
- Photo List Supplement (37)
- Art by Diane Klingbeil (12, 14)
- cover art by Linda Lindsey
Issue 39
Despatch 39 was published in August 1979. Gail Saville and Barbara Metzke were co-presidents.
- Skimmed Off the Top (2)
- AGS Awards (15)
- War and Peace (17)
- Nursery Rhymes from the Secret Empire (25)
- You Missed the Last Episode, So... (26)
- The Network Man (27)
- Notes from MLIFC Headquarters (29)
- Secret Empire, Chapter 15: Plan of Justice (30)
- Ode to Aaron (37)
- To the Emperor (38)
- Better Left Untitled (38)
- Discussion of a Possible MLIFC Convention (39)
- art by Susan Wyllie, Mary Stacy-MacDonald
Issue 40
Despatch 40 was published in Oct/Nov/Dec 1979 (reprinted May 1980?) and contains 50 pages.
From the editorial: "Front and Back Cover Pictures were loaned to MLIFC by Mark Lenard; copy negs taken and enlarged from the original proof sheet by Barbara Metzke. (Slugger's Note: After standing over the camera for hours shooting all the negs for the pictures Mark loaned us, and coming away from the task sent into a pretzel and looking like she spend about four days in the saddle, I felt my co-prexie deserved a credit. Also, although the electronic stencils do not do the expressions on these photographs credit, the BACK shot typifies the look we get when we do something nutty like when we stick out our lower lips and say, "But we'd go see YOU more than that if YOU were in a play!')"
- Skimmed Off the Top (2)
- The Best Laid Plans Susan Wyllie (Here Come the Brides story) (8)
- You Said It: MLIFC Letter Column (21)
- A Karmic Legacy by D.H. (Sarek and Amanda story) (32)
- Secret Empire, Chapter 16: Dance of Death (fictin) (44)
- art by Susan Wyllie, Mary Stacy-MacDonald
Issue 41
Despatch 41 contains 103 pages. While it has 1979 on the cover, it has a copyright date of May 1980 (oddly, a month after #42 was published.).
- Skimmed Off The Top (Phone interview with ML) (5 pages)
- ML Fund—Diabetes, including a letter) (4 pages)
- Parts of Star Trek The Motion Picture with ML script (4 pages)
- A Skunk By Any Other Name (Sarek/Amanda story) (3 pages)
- Pictures of ML at a convention (2 pages)
- The Vulcan Princess (Star Trek story) (10 pages)
- Not Always As Simple As It Seems (story) (3 pages)
- Question Mark (Questions to ML) (6 pages)
- Alternatives (Sarek/Amanda story) (11 pages)
- And Now A Word From Our Sponsors (Essay) (1 page)
- A Day At Wakulla (cute story) (2 pages)
- Bond Mates (Sarek/Amanda story) (16 pages)
- Letters From Fans (9 pages)
- For A Klingon He’s Not Such A Bad Guy (Article from Providence RI Journal) (2 pages)
- Here Come The Brides: A Historical Basis (2 pages)
- The Secret Empire—Seeds Of Betrayal Chapter 17 (7 pages)
- Many more pictures of ML as a Vulcan, conventions, theatres, etc.
Issue 42
Despatch 42 was published in April 1980.
- Skimmed Off the Top (2)
- More Skimmings (9)
- Saga of the Brides (13)
- Shadow of the Past (14)
- Aboard Chevov's Enterprise, a review (17)
- You Said It: MLIFC's Letter Col (19)
- In a Different Reality (22)
- Vulcan, poem (26)
- Reality, poem (26)
- At Such a Strange War (27)
- Trade Mark (30)
- Invisible Guest Stars: Nashville's Southern Con (31)
- Close Encounters of the Remarkable Kind (33)
- AGS and Other Awards (33)
- Many Changes (34)
- The Secret Empire: Chapter 18: Web of Intrigue (40)
Issue 43
Despatch 43 was published in August 1980.
- Skimmed Off the Top (2)
- You Said It: MLIFC's Letter Col (8)
- The Official Klingon Dialogue, courtesy of Mark Lenard (24)
- Aaron Stempel, Mark Typewriter Art by Meg Fouty (25)
- No Regrets, poem by Sharon Fall (26)
- Song Dedications and NONCON Recipe (28)
- Two Years Before the Helm, poem (29)
- Skimmed Off the Top, continued (29)
- The Secret Empire: chapter 19: Dawn of Truth (30)
Issue 44
Despatch 44 was the final issue. It was published December 1980. The "Letter to the Members" is a 4 page letter on why they are shutting down both the club and the newsletter. This includes the editor's burnout, the fact that they were losing $750 per issue, which they covered, but also Mark Lenard's remark that the club "has been around a long time...too long. It's time we put it to rest, let it go...let it die with dignity." The editors also comment that the club had generated some Mark Lenard stalkers, and that this was damaging to both him and his family. The poem on the cover expresses some of their feelings about the end of the club.
- Letter to the Members (2)
- You Said It: MLIFC's Letter Col (6)
- Article on Mark's Buck Rogers Appearance, contributed by Ruth Berman (7)
- Prologue, poem Jennifer Tifft (8)
- Thorval and Tara, art by Mary Stacy-MacDonald (10)
- Conclusion of The Secret Empire: chapter 20: Sunrise on an Empire by Slugger (11)
References
- ^ Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Ruth Berman
- ^ from The Women's List #1
- ^ from an LoC in issue #19
- ^ from The Halkan Council #15
- ^ from Morjana Lee C in Interstat #92