Star Trek Convention (Summation Associates)
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Star Trek Convention |
| Dates: | 1975, 1976 |
| Frequency: | |
| Location: | San Jose and Sacramento, California |
| Type: | fan-run, celebrity guests |
| Focus: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Organization: | Summation Associates |
| Founder: | |
| Founding Date: | |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Star Trek Convention were two one-day fan-run cons presented by ex-members of S.T.A.R. Sacramento.
Conflict and Politics
The leaders of S.T.A.R. Sacramento had this to say in 1976:
In the local area, a small Star Trek festival will be held here in Sacramento in late September. It is being put on by Summation Associates -- a small promoting company formed of a handful of ex-S.T.A.R. Sacramento officers. This group is interested only in making money, and is not a fan group. Their aim is simply to realize a profit off Star Trek fans. The con here in Sacramento last December 6 and the recent con in San Jose on June 12 were put on by this Summation group.
We cannot ethically urge you to boycott this professional con. But if you would like, you can wait until later this year and attend a less-expensive, full-day con run by Sacramento Valley S.T.A.R., a fan group, which will use any money it makes above costs for fan-oriented activities and to benefit STAR TREK fandom.
This is only a notice of information, not an editorial comment. You, the fan deserve to know what's going on, and the options open to you. This statement is the editor's and not necessarily that of Sacramento S.T.A.R.
As more and more merchandisers get on the Star Trek bandwagon, trying to cash in on the ease with which Star Trek fans part with their money, rip-offs and copyright infringements skyrocket. Most dealers are still legitimate, but there are a few who are making lots of money off shady items. A letter from Sandy Sarris of the Federation Trading Post — please see the letters column in this issue — details the actions of some of these shady dealers, and pit-falls fans should watch out for.[1]
1975
Star Trek Convention was held December 9, 1975 in Sacramento, CA.
The guests of honor were James Doohan, John Trimble, and Bjo Trimble.
Con staff:
- Mary Mowder (stage direction and carnival)
- Steve Stapleton (vendors and ushers)
- Keith Spatz (transpiration and tickets)
- Del Powell (aide-de-camp)
- Patricia Callander (costume contest and programing)
from the 1975 con program book
from the 1975 con program book
1976
Star Trek Convention was held June 12, 1976.
Star Klique, a local fan club, help provide security.
This con was mentioned in an issue of Bellerophon in June 1976.
The con's guests of honor were James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, Bruce Hyde, Walter Koenig, and William Campbell.
The Program Book
The program book contains 16 pages, most of them ads for other Trek cons as well as science fiction and Star Trek bookstores.
- Middle-earth Songbook
- Federation Trading Post
- the Dungeon and Dragons magazine, "The Dragon"
- the second Space-Con
- a printing company
- a company that rented video screens
- the seventh Mythcon
- Trekstars Unlimited
- the zine Stardate by S.T.A.R. Sacramento
- the fan club Starbase One
- "Memory Alpha, Starbase XXXI" "ask for Van"
- KTVU, "Watch The Star Trek Dream" Wednesday, July 14 at 8:00 (the back cover)
from the 1976 program book, programming
from the 1976 program book, programming
from the 1976 program book, prizes!
from the 1976 program book
from the 1976 program book (back cover)
Con Report: 1976
At the recent Star Trek Con in San Jose,Members of Star Klique were pleased to act as escorts for three of the five Star Trek guest stars in attendance: JAMES DOOHAN, NICHELLE NICHOLS, WALTER KOENIG, WILLIAM CAMPBELL AND BRUCE HYDE Below are some personal glimpses.
con report from Bellerophon v.2 n.3WILLIAM CAMPBELL: The petulant child in the "Squire of Gothos" and the charming Klingon Captain in "The Trouble With Tribbles", William "Bill" Campbell attended the recent San Jose Con. This was his first fan convention outside of the southern California area.
In person, he is a pleasant, amiable guest and insisted on following the computerized schedule at San Jose. A faulty Gofer’s watch caused the only on-stage appearance he missed.
William Campbell, who during his career as an actor worked as a volunteer at the Motion Picture Hospital, has been in charge of fund raising for the Motion Picture and Television Fund for the past two years. So far, $4,500 has been donated by Star Trek Fan Conventions.
He has acquired most of the "'Squire of Gothos” costume he wore in that episode, except for the cape, which he is trying to obtain. (For trivia fans, the costume was also worn by Michael Rennie in "Desiree"). William is thinking of developing a short scene from "Squire" to present at future conventions.
Many people have suggested that the character "Captain Koloth" be continued and have written to the produces of the forthcoming Star Trek movie. William would be interested in developing the role as the perfect adversary for Captain Kirk. If readers agree, direct your letters to Paramount.
William Campbell is signed to do several TV shows in the coming season.
Gofers for Mr. Campbell were Dona Kerns, Tanya Bishop, Steven Bradley, Judy Rainforth, Karin Giblin, J. Aho, and Cathy Clark.
(ED. enclosed you will find a flyer, complete with envelope. You can write to Bill there - of course, all contributions to the home are appreciated.)
WALTER KOENIG: It was a very interesting and rewarding experience escorting Walter Koenig. Walter is somewhat quieter than you expect ’Chekov' to be, but then the man Walter Koenig has so much more to him than Chekov.
As you know Walter is also an author in addition to being an actor. He has had one of his screenplays "Phantasm” reverted back to him after being tossed about one of the major studios for over a year now. It now belongs fully to him again and he is offering the property to other sources. In the meantime Walter is busily at work on a new screenplay and is teaching an extension course at UCLA. Walter will also be visiting as many conventions as his schedule allows. We hope that Chekov will be given a chance to grow into the person Mr. Koenig is.
Walter's gofers for the day were Bill Deen, Dan Biringer and Judy Aho.
JAMES DOOHAN: Gofering for Jimmy was a very special experience. He is a total gentleman and deserves a great deal of respect. He is very interested in his fans and is very knowledgeable so one can talk to him about any topic. It is very difficult to adequately describe Mr. Doohan in such a short space. It really doesn't do him justice. The one thing that impressed me the most is his willingness to listen to young people and really caring.
All of us in the Bay Area will once again be fortunate to see this great actor on stage, for in the near future he will be appearing in one of John Palmer's plays.
Gofers for Mr. Doohan were Evelyn Agilar, Deirdre McCarthy, Pat Harris, and Steve Schenkofsky. [2]
There is also a con report in J.D.I.F.C. (newsletter) July 1976 issue - by Linda Bortolin.
References
- ^ from Stardate #10
- ^ from from Bellerophon v.2 n.3