Shuttlecon Columbus

Convention
Name:	Shuttlecon Columbus
Dates:
Frequency:	at least twice
Location:	Columbus, OH
Type:	fan run?, for profit, with celebrity guests
Focus:	Star Trek
Organization:	Shuttlecraft Columbus
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:
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Shuttlecon Columbus was a Star Trek convention in Columbus, Ohio.

"Shuttlecon" may have been a series of for-profit cons held in different cities. This is a mention of a con with a similar title, held in 1992.

1978

It was held December 29–31, 1978.

It was the first Columbus, Ohio Star Trek convention.

The flyer says it was to be limited to 1500 people. It was held at the Sheraton-Columbus Hotel. There is a con report for this convention in a 1979 issue of James Doohan International Club Newsletter.

flyer

It featured:

• guests: James Doohan, Bruce Hyde, Susan Sackett, and Grace Lee Whitney
• a masquerade
• a dealer's room
• autograph sessions
• movies
• Star Trek episodes
• Trek Roundtable
• NASA display
• trivia contest
• guest speakers
• slideshow of the new movie
• a New Year's Eve get-together
• Susan Sackett gave an interview for a fan club, see An Interview With Susan Sackett (1978)

Con Reports: 1978

At the outset, I should explain that, while I LIKE Star Trek, I am not a die-hard fanatic (although I do enjoy writing ST stories).

So, when my husband Steve, the founder of the Muncle Star Trek Appreciation Club, informed me that we would be attending the Shuttlecon Columbus Star Trek convention over New Year's Eve, I silently laid odds I would not have a good time.

Boy, was I wrong! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It began with our arrival Friday afternoon. I had never been to a con before, but I had read about them. I had visions of throngs of Trekkers all wearing pointed ears. Wrong again. The people I saw as I entered the main hall looked quiet, friendly, and perfectly normal! To be sure, there were quite a few shirts weighted down with multitudes of ST buttons (such as "I grok Spock"), but aside from that, and one or two people in costume, nothing seemed the least bit odd about the conventioneers.

Six members of the [[Muncle Star Trek Appreciation Club]|M-STAC]] club had come with us, and after registering, we split up to explore.

I wandered around all that evening, getting, I'm ashamed to admit, pretty bored. It's not that there wasn't anything to DO, for there certainly was.

The film room ran continuous screenings of ST episodes, classic SF movies, and of course the beloved "blooper reels". But I had seen the movies, and I've watched every Star Trek show at least three times. Collecting autographs from the stars was exciting, but I really wasn't interested in seeing them perform. The hucksters' room was filled to over-flowing with ST and SF paraphernalia. You name it, they had it. Magazines, fanzines, buttons, t-shirts, posters and bubble-gum cards were all in abundance. Not to mention tribbles—and a $250 working (nearly) phaser! But there was nothing I wanted to buy, with the exception of some books that caught my eye.

One of the only things to save the evening from total dullness was the announcement that Susan Sackett (with whom our club had corresponded) had invited us to breakfast with her the next morning; that, and one other thing. After drifting in and out of the hucksters' room several times, I finally decided to break loose from some of my money. Looking the books over carefully-I hate to buy anything I'm not sure of—I chose NTM Collected, Vol. I, by Jean Lorrah. I can safely say I was greatly influenced in my decision by the presence of Dr. Lorrah, as she herself was manning the table.

(I must interrupt at this point to explain that I am a voracious reader. You've heard of people who read aspirin labels and cereal boxes, for lack of anything better? That's me. Most of my reading is science fiction; I idolize Heinlein, love Asimov, and greatly enjoy Harrison, Zelazny, and Niven.)

To continue: after buying the book, I left the room. Not two steps down the hall, the horrible realization set in. I had bought a book with the author sitting right there AND I FORGOT TO GET HER AUTOGRAPH! AAAGH! ***deep feelings of stupidity*** I was no self-conscious that I wasn't able to go back in the room until after Jean had left.

I read the book cover-to-cover that night, and loved every page.

SATURDAY: Breakfast with Susan Sackett was very pleasant,, She told us, between bites of cinnamon toast and sips of tia, all she knew about the Star Trek movie., which wasn't very much, as there is a great deal of secrecy surrounding it. She also talked about Gene Roddenberry, and about herself.

After breakfast, being out of reading material, I went to get more. Jean was not at her table, I thankfully noted, as I had left had book in our motel room. With a sharp eye to my wallet, I decided against her other book, Night of the Twin Moons (if I'd only Known what I was missing), purchasing instead Jacqueline Lichtenberg's House of Zeor. I wasn't sure I would like it, You see, up until the con, I had never heard of either Jean or Jacqueline. I certainly had no idea what "Simes" or "Gens" might be. But, I was desperate. If I don't get something to read every day, I go into withdrawal.

Later on, as my husband and I were taking a lunch break, who should sit down beside us but Joan Winston! Joan, a guest at the con, is the manager of the contracts department at ABC, author of The Making of the Trek Conventions, and co-author (with JL and Sondra Marshak) of Star Trek Lives! She was also the only con speaker I'd heard so far. Joan seems to live in a state of overdrive; she was as delightful a lunch companion as she had been a speaker.

I divided the rest of the day between a few ST episodes, those irresistable blooper reels, a wonderful episode of Outer Limits called "Demon with a Glass Hand", written by Harlan Ellison (!), and reading House of Zeor,: which I found that I liked. I was thoroughly engrossed in HoZ when someone sat down beside me. Looking up, I was stunned to find myself face to face with Grace Lee Whitney! She had paused to rest for a moment after finishing her hour-long show and lengthy autograph session. I got up my nerve and spoke to her, making some totally inane, highly forgettable small talk, then she left with a friend.

After THREE "close encounters" with famous people (Susan, Joan, and Grace Lee), I began feeling some genuine excitement about being stuck at—er, I mean ATTENDING—the convention. Little did I know that the best was yet to come.

SUNDAY. I was dreading Sunday, as the only good prospect for the day seemed to be the New Year's Eve party late that evening. Worse, I had finished HoZ and was again book-less. So, in that depressed state of mind, I armed myself with NTM-C and HoZ, bolstered my courage, and went to obtain autographs. Lightening struck a fourth time. As Jacqueline signed her name, I mentioned that I had finished both books.

"Are you a fast reader?" she asked me.

I admitted I was, pretty much.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked Jean.

Turning back to me she asked, if I had the time, would I like to read the manuscript of the next Sime novel, First Channel? She and Jean would like my reaction to it, as I had read House of Zeor, but not Unto Zeor, Forever.

Would I? WOULD I?! My senses reeled, my heart pounded, my adrenal glands hit the ceiling. Things took on an unreal, dream-like quality. Famous people were noticing ME? Asking me for a favor? This couldn't be happening to me. Could it?

And that is how I came to spend eight hours in JL's and Katie Filipowicz's room at the Sheraton Columbus hotel, plowing my way through 600 pages of typed manuscript. My mind was in shock. I read as quickly as I could, but it was difficult. The manuscript was a carbon copy, and there were loads of typos to stumble over. Worse than that, I couldn't smoke in the room, as both Katie and Jacqueline were sensitive to smoke in the air. And, since I was too lazy to get up and go out in the hall very often, at least my lungs were happy. One thing nagged at me the whole time I was reading, though—my deep-seated fear of not pleasing people. My anxiety level went through the roof with worry over whether or not I would say the "right" thing about, the book.

After I had finished reading, Jacqueline and Jean asked questions, being careful not to influence my thinking. I felt very inadequate—the words, plot, and characters were all swirling around in my brain giving me no chance to think beyond the fact that I liked the story very much. Despite my foggy condition, I could tell from J & J's reactions that I had absorbed at least SOME of the point of the book, and had given them the answers they were looking for. Thank goodness.

[snipped, her description of the book and what she thought about it]

I want to thank both Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah from the bottom of my heart for granting me the special privilege they did. They are genuinely interested in what their fans have to say, and I will always remember how they took the time to make an ordinary person like me feel important.

And you can bet your bottom credit that I'll never forget how I came to be in the right place at the right time New Year's Eve in Columbus.

"Look, I'll do anything else, but I'll never be anybody's slave!" Or so I told Judy Gerjuoy last spring when she asked me if I would gofer for JL at the Darkover minicon. I had picked up from somewhere the idea that gofers at cons spent all their time running and fetching — in short, were regarded as little better than slaves. I wanted no part of that! But, it seems that proclaiming, "Never!" to anything concerning Jacqueline Lichtenberg is a sure sign that you're going to do it eventually. Only it never turns out quite the way you expected... I've spent my last two cons as JL's gofer—though hardly as her slave.

The latest was Shuttlecon Columbus, a Trek con over the New Year's weekend in Columbus, Ohio, at which both JL and Jean Lorrah were appearing as Guests. A number of worries and grumbles tromped through my mind as Jacqueline and I flew out together. Would I be labeled with a gofer nametag and have every con-goer asking me for directions? Would I be excluded from special events given for the Guests? Would I have to go broke paying for my own registration fee (I had prepaid), meals, and room—while the JLs got their expenses paid by the con? Would anyone but Jacqueline and Jean care about me?

*CHUCKLE*

To begin with, we were met at the airport. We joined Jean at the hotel (she had the room next to ours), and after settling in, went up to dinner in the hotel's fancy top-floor restaurant, where I began my intimate acquaintance with the salad bar. I also began my chief duty as gofer, liaison with the con committee and with the hotel. In talking with the lady in charge of the Writers" Room, I found out that the con was picking up my room bill. Nice.

Back in our room, Jean and Jacqueline were interrupted in the midst of planning the sequel to First Channel (while I listened in fascination) by a phone call from the con 's head of publicity. She wanted them to take part in a radio talk show. I walked over to the station with them and joined the group in the studio, then watched from outside the observation window while Jean, Jacqueline, Joan Winston, and Susan Sackett talked to 90,000 people.

We returned to our room to find we were being given the VIP treatment: radio turned on, chocolate mints and a carnation in a vase on the night table, and one bed turned down. (It was mine. They never did do Jacqueline's, and she muttered that she felt invisible.) A newspaper appeared outside our door each morning. These and other subtle hints—such as con security people lounging by the elevators—soon made obvious the fact that we were housed on the con's VIP floor, along with all the other Guests, including Grace Lee Whitney, Bruce Hyde, and Jimmy Doohan.

Next morning after breakfast and more discussion of Channel's Destiny, I trotted up to the con floor to register. "Just a minute, where are the ribbons?" the lady said, and tried to give me a Guest ribbon. "Uh, me? But I'm a gofor, not a Guest." "Well, OK, if you don't want it ..." Gulp. I couldn't bring myself to take it. And they didn't ask about a registration fee, either.

For the three days of the con, I spent much of my time sitting at our table in the hucksters' room, observing the flow of events. Jean and Jacqueline spent many hours there, also, talking to fans and signing autographs. At other times I minded the table by myself, during the writers' talks, or when JL was off privately lending her sympathetic ear to the variety of people, both familiar friends and new acquaintances, who seemed to naturally come to her to discuss their personal troubles. I made friends with a number of concom people, trying to help with little suggestions and soothing words to smooth over the difficulties that beset all inexperienced con-givers. (Not that I've much experience. After my stint at helping to run the Darkover con, I'm just more aware of these problems, and have a natural affinity for people with ribbons dangling from,their nametags.) I did manage to get to one of the JLs' talks Friday, which I spent taking pictures, determined to get one shot of them good enough for the dust jacket of FCh.

Friday night, it was back to the salad bar, this time with Joan Winston, Leslie Fish, and Janet Cruickshank, another fan, with Sue Sackett dropping in for a minute. And me wishing I was more of a Star Trek fan so I could fully appreciate this!

Saturday was a very heavy day for Jean. She had five appearances scheduled, and JL went with her but had to sit in the audience. Debbie Goldstein, down from Detroit, sat at the table with me, attempting to knit a mitten and dropping, stitches while I outlined Mahogany Trinrose for her. She brought my lunch back from a local deli. Between talks, Jean and Jacqueline held down the table, while I performed my one "slavish" task, and fetched Jean's lunch from the same deli. Checking on where the next day's "Breakfast with the Stars", an extensive buffet, was to be held, I got up the nerve to ask if I could get in and eat free. Answer: Yes, of course.

Just before 7:00 I gathered up the zines and went to the last writers' panel of the day. We were treated to the experience of watching JL, now OFFICIALLY working again, talking over, under, around, and through the other panelists. It's a good thing they understood it's tough for Lichtenberg to keep quiet for a whole day. Later that evening we found that the "Breakfast" had been cancelled. But for me, it was my freebie invitation to attend that mattered, not actual attendance!

In the Sunday paper we found an article written up from a lengthy interview Jean, Jacqueline, and Leslie Fish had done on Friday. Everyone was quite pleased with it, and copies kept appearing all day. The fans kept coming back to the writers' talks, so that by the final panel, Jean and Jacqueline had quite a large, satisfied following.

After that last panel late Sunday afternoon, we all gratefully retired upstairs to relax and finish packing. Jean was quiet with fatigue. Finding her energy spent and knees suddenly weak, Jacqueline leaned heavily against the elevator door, nearly falling out when it opened. She tried to rest in Jean's room while Janet Cruickshank and I took the fanzine inventory, but she soon had to collect herself to question [Leslie W], the new fan who had been camped in our room all day reading First Channel.

Five of us went up to the restaurant for the last time (farewell, sweet salad bar) and found it mobbed.

Due to the usual convention insularity, we had forgotten what New Year's Eve meant to the outside world. After we had waited an hour, the hostess seated us along one side of a huge round party table. Which was convenient, because Bruce Hyde, Joan Winston, and two fans came along shortly and joined us (apparently nobody had thought to make reservations). We passed midnight quietly in our room, the two JLs and I and a new friend, Nell Kozak, a lawyer-turned-writer who offered a manuscript for criticism and had JL do a Tarot reading. We toasted the new year with champagne—gofering in the highest style, right?

Gofering is actually an apprenticeship, both in running a con and in appearing at one. A Guest's personal gofer is learning, but is also knowledgeable and somewhat experienced, and so is accepted as a co-worker by both concom and guests. I've finally gotten used to Jacqueline going to the room to get my sweater, taking the bed that seems to be in the draft, plying me with cold medicine, and jumping up in the middle of ordering lunch with a group of fans to literally rush up to the hucksters' room to bring me down to join them. The ideal gofer doesn't need to be directed, much less ordered, but instead fits herself into the pattern of the convention's work for the fans. I'm getting there.

1980

April 11–13, 1980

flyer for the 1980 con

A fan several years later said: "It was terrific even though we were "shuttled' back and forth from motel to the Con area — hence the name SHUTTLECON."

Con Reports: 1980

The guests of honor were Jimmy Doohan, Grace Lee Whitney, George Takei and Walter. Other guests included Bjo Trimble, Harrison Allen and his travelling slide show from NASA and Alan Dean Foster. Grace Lee sang up a storm, Jimmy let us in on what really caused the wormhole, George instructed us on the sexual connotations of STTMP and Walter related anecdotes about the making of STTMP, despite a case of strep-throat. A historical note — it was during this con that our Acting President, first met Walter which eventually led to the formation of the WKFS.

In addition to the talks by the guests, and autograph sessions, there were continual filmatic activity in the film room, a fairly good Dealer's Room, an art display and auction (MC'd by Alan Dean), a costume contest and banquet, a trivia contest (won by yours truly) and numerous extracurricular activities held at the hotel until very odd hours of the night (among which are included filksings and volley tribble!).

The inevitable question, "Ya goin' be at Shuttlecon?", coming from every acquaintance in this sector of the galaxy, led me to purchase tickets for Shuttlecon IX, due in Columbus, March 11–13.

While I have attended cons before, this was to be the first which would have 'stars' as the GoH. That, and the fact friends were coming from out of state to attend with me, made for a lot of anticipation.

March 11...one friend arrived the day before and having spent the entire night talking (that means NO sleep folks!) we set out bright and early for the con. We were among some of the first to arrive and after securing our passes, we hit the dealers' rooms, thereby regaining broke for the rest of the con. In all honesty, the dealer's room was very poor, we were sadly disappointed in their selection, which included no zines and no slides. However, turning up several items on STAR WARS, EMPIRE,and BUCK ROGERS, appeased us to a degree.

The first guest was Jimmy Doohan, who played 'Scotty' in STAR TREK". He began his talk by walking about the room, shaking hands with everyone there (well over a hundred people). He talked about ST, the movie and the plans to re-edit it. He also mentioned a sequel was already being planned, He's witty, warm, and a delightful man, even minus his Scottish brogue. We managed to talk with him later and got his autograph and pictures.

We missed the first part of Grace Lee Whitney's talk because a batch of pals arrived and we lost track of time. We did set in on the latter part of Grace's segment and heard her sing. She has a great voice! Later, we talked with her and were surprised at her friendly 'down-home' attitude. She's also rather pretty up close, and the recent ST-TMP (she played 'Rand') does not do her justice.

We skipped lunch (who eats at cons, anyway?) and sat in on Alan Dean Foster's talk. He was not at all what we had thought he'd be, and does not even look like a writer. He talked at length about his books, working on teh novel versions of "The Black Hole" and "Alien," and soon to be released "Clash of the Titans." We asked about "Splinter of the Mind's Eye," and he said SW was still in production when it was written, with thoughts if SW were not successful, the story could be turned into a low budget feature. The action was restricted to one planet with lots of fog, etc. to keep costs down in this event.

Speaking of SW, he stated that they are planning a film every 2-4 years. Sequels would not be in order since SW action is really the middle. Luke and the Rebellion would be the basis of 4-5-6. Luke's father, Vader, and a young Kenobi would be the basis of films 1-2-3, and for films 7-12, they have until 1992 to worry about those. The third film is due in 1982, And he stated he has nothing to do with EMPIRE. Concerning the talk about his ghost writing SW for Lucas, he quickly responded it was rumor and nothing more, Bjo Trimble (who wrote the ST Concordance) was scheduled to talk after Alan, but her plane was delayed, so we all sat about talking. I found another "Han" fan and we spent several hours discussing that *interesting* subject.

We caught Walter Koenig's talk that afternoon. He seemed very shy and uncomfortable with a crowd. Someone asked him about his Cpt. Dallas role in the Alien production put on privately in California (see article in recent issue of Starlog magazine). His remark was to the effect he always wanted to play a Captain.

With no sleep, my friends were on the verge of dying, so we left the con early, missing Ms. Whitney's concert scheduled for that night, Saturday, we left early to get back to the con in my friend's little Toyota pickup, (Three ladies in a Toyota.,guess who got to sit on the floor shift!?!)

We spent the morning talking with friends and just wandering about, talking with the dealers. We met Bjo Trimble and talked a while since my 'Han' friend was her bodyguard.

It was very enjoyable just soaking up the atmosphere...where else can Purple and Orange Squadrons from Battlestar, Corellian pirates from SW, and weird aliens from who knows where, wander about with the likes of Mr. Koenig and Mr. Foster?

Caught Walter's talk that afternoon and later, heard Bjo talk about what it was like being an extra on ST-TMP. Later still, we caught the tail end of Rita's favorite movie 'Day the Earth Stood Still'. After that, she had to see Alan again so we listened to him once more. (Rita is a definite Foster fan!)

That evening we passed on the costume contest to go for food. (The con was held in the crafts building at our state fairgrounds, and the con hotel was 5-10 miles away, as were all the restaurants. Raunchy deal, folks!) We followed friends to a steak house and attacked the place. (Being the only one in the group in costume, a Han Solo outfit, blaster and all, the stares from 'normal' folks were priceless!) However, never ask for Bantha steak!

After supper we invaded one of our friends' hotel room for a filksing and general insanity, like being chased down the corridors by a Darth Vader after 'that Corellian' and other items too numerous to mention. (Actually too insane to mention!)

I was asked to edit a story for a friend so she and I ducked up to her room for some peaceful reading, while the others stayed with the filking group. About one AM the filk moved to where we were, so Pat and I headed for the lobby to talk.

Lobby was an interesting place... had a fella warn me I'd better get my blaster registered and it turned out he was a COP who thought it was a real weapon! Watched Grace Lee trying to slip by two dozen Trekkers in the corridor. Talked there until about 3:30 AM at which time I informed my friends if they wanted me to navigate they'd better hit the road. We got home about 5:30. Don't know who started the rumor Corellians don't get lost...this one does...and did!!

Was woke up at 8:00 by a neighbor wanting a lift to the con. Muttering nice things about three hours sleep, I agreed. The rest of the gang slept late and it was 'bout noon when we headed back up, with both trucks, 'coz there wasn't enough room in the Toyota for six people. I got to navigate the Toyota since the others had already left with the van, and you guessed it! Got lost again! Reached the con only to find out George Takei who was a surprise guest, had given his talk that morning. We missed it and since his autograph line was huge (with over an hour wait or more) we passed on George totally.

We sat about talking until the gang started splitting up to head home. At one point, Walter wandered in and sat down with us, not talking, just listening.

Found out my husband's handcrafted cherry wood Vulcan harp had won first place in the art show, which delighted both of us. By then, most everyone had left, but we stayed for the art auction since the harp was up for bids. Had the pleasure of having Alan Dean auction the harp, which was an honor in its self.

By then the dealers' were packing up and things were pretty well dead, so we followed suit and headed home.

On a whole, it was a poorly planned, poorly organized con, the dealer's room was lacking, and the films bad. But the fact of seeing and meeting the stars, plus the fun of seeing old friends and meeting new ones, made it an enjoyable event. By the Rovin' Corellian Reporter

Seeing Walter for the first time was a great thrill. I attended all of his stage appearances and it was easy to tell that the audience just loved him. The most exciting thing about the convention for me, was when, a friend of mine, Carolyn and I discussed the possibility of a new fanzine called "Security Check", with Walter. But, back to the con...it was great! The convention was the best I had attended. I met up with new ideas, new friends and I shall never forget any of them.