Trek International
| Fan Club | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Trek International |
| Dates: | founded 1983 |
| Founder(s): | Anthony Wynn |
| Leadership: | Eleanor Heatherley, Delilah Warren, Anthony Wynn, Catriona MacGregor, Carol Smith |
| Country based in: | USA |
| Focus: | Star Trek |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Trek International was a Star Trek fan club which was formed in the latter half of 1983 by Tony Wynn and several others, including Elinor Heatherley, Delilah Warren, Catriona MacGregor, and Carol Smith. Wynn had served as the Chief of Communications of Starfleet, under the pseudonym 'T. Wxyn' and held the rank of Vice Admiral in that organization.
Phyllis Wood provided very capable guidance and support in setting-up an organizational bank account, assistance in processing memberships, as well as coordinating printing and mailing tasks.
From the 1983 publicity flyer:
Trek International has been formed to meet the needs of Star Trek fans who enjoy the quasi-military aspects of the Star Trek universe.Ships (chapters) are being formed across the country and around the world to allow fans the opportunity for fellowship with other fans in their immediate area. Be the first (if you wish!) to start a chapter in your area! When you join, if indicated on your membership application, you will be assigned to a ship in your area, or be allowed the opportunity to chair a chapter in your town. You will also be assigned an official rank designation...
The Fleet Herald will arrive at your door every other month (bi-monthly) - guaranteed! Besides containing infiormation on what fans around the world are doing to promote Star Trek, we'll also bring you occasional interviews with the Star Trek stars and bring you up-to-date news of what is going on currently in the Star Trek world. Your membership card will be valid for one full year following your application for membership. The Commissioned Officer's Guide contains a copoy of the TREK INTERNATIONAL Constitution and other materials describing the inner-workings of the organization. And the TREK memo pad with the official club logo inscribed.
Send your application to us today. Our yearly dues are only $8.00 per year - a real bargain in today's world of inflated prices. Join today!
Club History
The motto of the group was "Bringing the Star Trek World Together through Service."
At the formation of the organization in 1983, the club had 12 ships (chapters), several of which had left Starfleet in order to join Trek International. By the end of the first year, that number increased to 29 ships in 16 U.S. states, and three countries (the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom). There were over 500 individual members in Trek International by mid-1985.
After about a year in operation, the club sought to streamline itself by designating all ships as Constitution Class, i.e. identical to Star Trek's USS Enterprise. Several section heads had been initially established, but later abolished due to a general feeling by the membership that they added an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to the organization. Trek International was run by an "Admiralty Board", consisting of five officers.
In the premiere issue of The Fleet Herald, the Chief of Staff wrote:
"It's our first year for TREK INTERNATIONAL. We're getting off to a good start and we're determined to make this first year a fantastic one.Right now we have a lot to do - not only us at headquarters level, but everyone, everywhere. Have your local stations renewed the Star Trek syndication package this year? If not, are you and other concerned fans doing anything about it? Did you both to write and nlet them know you want to see the reruns again? If you don't want to write, did you call? Program managers love to hear from viewers. What about the stations that have never run Star Trek - did you write or call them? And don't forget the independent stations. Remember - it took ten years of fan activity to get the first movie filmed. I believe we can do anything if we truly want to, and it doesn't have to necessarily take ten years.
This very well could be our make-or-break year. If we let our "fanning" spirit die, we only have ourselves to blame. Everyone can contribute something to the cause. It can be something as simple as letting just one more person know about TREK INTERNATIONAL or taking a few flyers and putting them on the flyer table at a convention.
The Admiralty Board really cares about you, the fans - for we are fans ourselves. As Trek International Chief of Staff, I want to assure you that if there's as way to further Star Trek awareness, we'll do it. But we need your ideas and support. Write to me or to your Section Head, we do want to hear from you. With all of us working together, we can build a truly fantastic Star Trek club." ~Tony Wynn, Chief of Staff [1]
A fan wrote a letter to Kindred Spirits mentioning Trek International and how they got into fandom:
"In Jean Lorrah's book, The Vulcan Academy Murders, there is an address given for the Star Trek Welcommittee... The week before Christmas '84, I received a large, fat envelope from Lisa Wahl in Los Angeles, filled with lots of information on Star Trek clubs, fanzines, conventions, fanclubs, etc. Well, I went absolutely ga-ga. I joined Trek International, sent off for both Universal Translator and Datazine (not having any idea at the time on what I was getting myself in for), and ordered tickets from Creation Con for a convention they were holding in San Francisco in February."[2]
Trek International operated for some six years before disbanding; many of the chapters merged into Starfleet. The organization subsequently updated the name of the group to STARFLEET: The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc., in recognition of the contributions of Trek International. The Guinness Book of World Records now recognizes Starfleet as the world's largest science fiction fan club.
Admiralty Board
Trek International was run by a five member Admiralty Board. These members governed the organization for periods of one year (later amended to two years in a revised constitution). Voting for new board members or to retain current members was done yearly (later biennially) at membership meetings. These gatherings were generally held at various local Star Trek conventions. The Admiralty Board members consisted of the Chief of Staff (also editor of The Fleet Herald), the Personnel Officer (memberships and treasury), the Operations Officer (reports and librarian), Academy Commandant, and a Member-at-Large.
The Fleet Herald
Published on a bi-monthly basis, the inaugural issue of The Fleet Herald was distributed to the membership of Trek International in December 1983. Published in a 8.5 x 11 inch format, issues typically ran eight pages in length. It was published under the Reconnaissance Press imprint.
Issues included news from the world of Star Trek, as well as information about the actors and guest stars. By special arrangement, Trek International was able to include the column "Dixie's Clippings", the Star Trek Syndicated News Column by Dixie Owen, in The Fleet Herald. Often, interviews with Star Trek actors were printed, including such personalities Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand), Bibi Besch (Carol Marcus), James Doohan (Scotty), and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Additionally, information and reports concerning the operations of Trek International also appeared in each issue. Other features in the newsletter were letters to the editor, Star Trek convention listings, classified advertisements, and reviews of Star Trek novels.