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Ship's
Log Stardate
200906.00
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Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the USS Exeter
NCC-1706, submitted the following report for June 2009:
This past month was
kind of slow. After all the hustle and bustle of
the Star Trek
movie premiere and all the other activities, we decided to take
a rest. We did stay in touch seeing as a lot of us
work for the same company.
We would like to welcome our four new members to the Exeter
and the Fleet. They are: Alex O'Conner and
his father Barry, Macauley McMenemy and Becci
Bradbury. The last two are from the Unitd Kingdom
and are from the city to which this ship gets its namesake...
Exeter!
We will be having a dinner meeting at the Golden Corral on Sunday,
July 5, at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully all of the new members
can attend and get to meet their new shipmates.
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Ship's
LogStardate
200905.00
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Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the USS Exeter
NCC-1706, submitted the following report for May 2009:
I am proud to
announce that our new XO, Janice Neu, Chief Tactical
Officer Ryan McDowell and Yeoman Hyo Soon have
been promoted in rank. They passed their OTS exams and
due to their unwavering service, they were given the ranks Lieutenant
and Lt. JG. Way to go! Now we are awaiting
our new XO to finish her studies to take and pass the OCC. Then,
we will finally be able to send in the required paperwork to
get full ship's status. We are hoping to get our
confirmation at Dragon*Con. Thanks to the BEST CO a boy
could ever have... Eric "Da Man" Watts!
Stardate 2009.05.02—The USS Exeter
had a fast and furious first two weeks this month. The
last week of April, the CO was contacted by a photographer from
The Florida Times-Union
newspaper concerning a photo story they were doing about local
Trekkers. John Fletcher had been contacted
by Norm Lidell, the CO of the USS Haven
in Orlando (not a chapter of STARFLEET). He and I
had met at the extremely dull Vulkon Orlando in October. Mr
Fletcher came to my quarters and did some preliminary interviewing
for background information. He shot a few photos
here at the house and then we beamed over to my place of employment,
Publix. We took more photos by the area that most
of my work is concentrated in. The customers were a bit
surprised to see a Commander from the 23rd century posing in
front of a milk display! We finished and shook hands. He
informed me that the article would be out in the May 5th edition.
On May 2, we had a very busy day. A week earlier,
I had been contacted by Jay Mooney. He is
the AV director of the main branch library. They were
to have a Star Trek-A-Thon. He
asked if we would like to attend this event and if I would like
to addresss the folks in attendance. Seeing as I
have been an on-and-off again thespian, I jumped at the chance. Besides, it
would give me the opportunity to let the local fans know of
our new ship and the opportunities to be had! There
were about 50-75 persons in the audience who enjoyed the event. Shown
episodes were "The Cage," "Where No Man Has Gone
Before" and "The City on the Edge of Forever." Jay
had me bring along a DVD of the Star
Trek: New Voyages episode "In Harm's
Way" in case anyone would be interested in seeing what the fans
are making. And boy! Did they ever! I
took the podium and spoke about STARFLEET, the Exeter
and the really great fan-made episodes. I explained
that James Cawley has made us old hats very happy with
his creations. For some strange reason, I was
given a standing ovation! I guess that I can be a
scenery-chewing SOB... just like The Shat! We handed
out flyers and headed over to my quarters for the ship's meeting. Janice
Neu, our new XO, and her two adorable little boys helped
me at the library.
Then there was chaos! My yeoman and I were witness to
the biggest Exeter
meeting ever! In attendance were Ed and Janice
Neu and their sons James and Adam; Julie
and Jordan Cain; Marian LaPlaca and her daughter;
and two new prospective members, Mike & Lori Phelps. They
are, again, management members with the Publix grocery chain. Mike
is a lifelong fan and was extremely impressed with my knowledge
of classic Trek
as well as being mesmerized by my NASA collectibles. We
had some fantastic delicacies, again, prepared by my yeoman,
Hyo Soon. Korean BBQ, dumplings, noodles,
etc. Janice, Marian and I worked on the huge USS
Exeter banners
to be displayed at the movie theatre for the upcoming Star
Trek movie. We discussed
our plans for the event, enjoyed the food and watched a personal
favorite episode from the miniseries, From
the Earth to the Moon, "Is That All
There Is?—The Apollo 12 Mission." We all
had a great time and went our separate ways.
I was then contacted by the manager of the Regal Cinemas and
told that there would be a "sneak viewing" of the new Star
Trek movie on Thursday evening. My
yeoman and I attended it and I must tell you, despite my trepidations,
I was completely floored! This is, in my humble opinion,
the rebirth of our family of characters! My yeoman
was drawn to tears on the opening sequence... and me, too.
The next day was another doozie of a day. After working
a 10-hour day at work, I met XO Janice Neu and her two
sons at the Regal Cinemas and set up shop. The manager,
Frank, was very generous and let us do our thing. We
displayed props, models and costumes. We also had
membership forms, CQs (supplied by Eric) and made
small talk with all individulas who seemed interested. The
really cool part was when Scott Johnson, a reporter from
the local TV station WJXT, came to do an interview with us. He
was fair, but a bit snarky. From my experience from
my days on the Excalibur,
this was to be expected. The interview went well
and aired that evening at 10:00. I have receved many
calls after that and we are hoping to get these possibles to
come to a meeting and see that the Fleet is fun!
In closing, I would like to thank our support ship's CO for
all his help in this endeavor, as well as Jack Eaton,
who sent us a really cool poster that we displayed at our display. We
are hoping to get full ship's status at Dragon*Con and as soon
as our new XO, Janice Neu, completes the OCC, we WILL
send the paperwork post-haste!
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Cmdr
John R. Sims speaks to an audience at Jacksonville
Public Library's "Trek-A-Thon"
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Jacksonville
Public Library AV director Jay Mooney and Cmdr
John R. Sims
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Seated:
Cadet James Neu, prospective members Mike
& Lori Phelps. In rear: Cmdr John
R. Sims, Hyo Soon Yoo and Marian LaPlaca.
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Cmdr
John R. Sims (center) and Cadets James
and Adam Neu
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Ed
Neu and prospective member Mike Phelps
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Hyo
Soon Yoo, prospective member Lori Phelps
and James Neu
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Watching
an episode from the miniseries From
the Earth to the Moon
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Jacksonville
TV station WJXT reporter Scott Johnson and Cmdr
John R. Sims
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Cmdr
John R. Sims and Cadets James and Adam
Neu prepare the Exeter's recruitment display
at the Star Trek movie premiere
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Cmdr
John R. Sims (center) and Cadets James
and Adam Neu
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Shannon
Long and her mother Marian LaPlaca
at the Star Trek movie premiere
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Cadets
James and Adam Neu at the
Star Trek movie premiere
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Hyo
Soon Yoo, Shannon Long and
Marian LaPlaca at the Star Trek
movie premiere
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Ship's
LogStardate
200904.00
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Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the USS Exeter
NCC-1706, submitted the following report for April 2009:
This month, the
crew of the USS Exeter
held its meeting at the CO's new abode. Although
turnout was light, we still had a great deal of fun. Because
of scheduling problems, the Neu family and XO Ryan
McDowell could not attend. But Ensigns Julie
and Jordan Cain did, as well as two new prospective members,
Bob & Joan Sims... my parents! This is kinda
cool, seeing as my mother was the one who turned me on to Trek
as a kid.
The meeting was more of a social gathering. We caught
up on some family matters and discussed the new movie. Then
we enjoyed yet another incredible meal prepared by the CO's
yeoman, Hyo Soon: Korean BBQ, fried dumplings and
sushi! Afterwards, we watched an episode of Star
Trek: Phase II. My family
members were truly intrigued by the quality of a fan-made production...
but they don't know James Cawley!
This past week, I stayed in contact with the Regal Cinemas manager
and firmed up our plans for the recruitment table for the Star
Trek movie opening. I was
also contacted by no less than four other theaters from south
Georgia to St. Augustine. Geez, where were you guys when
I was calling four weeks ago? I was also contacted
by the curator of the main branch of the Jacksonville library. They
are to have a Trek-A-Thon
this coming Saturday from 1:30 until 5:00 p.m. They
will be showing the first two pilot episodes as well as the
classic "City on the Edge of Forever." I
contacted the local news media and we are to have some coverage
of that event as well.
This is gonna be a very busy week for the Exeter. We
hope to do our collective best to help STARFLEET grow vicariously
through our efforts.
On a good note, Ensign Janice Neu has passed her OTS.
Yaa! I am hoping to get all my bridge staff to pass
this before our commissioning in September at Dragon*Con. In
the next week, we will be filing another VRR to get our approval
from the DTS.
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Ship's
LogStardate
200903.00
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Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the USS Exeter
NCC-1706, submitted the following report for March 2009:
This month, the USS Exeter
had a very exciting event to watch: the launch of shuttle Discovery!
Cmdr Lee Archambault and the intrepid crew of STS-119 left
the surly bonds of Earth to deliver and deploy the final solar
array for the international space station. Members
of the crew witnessed this launch from two vantage points in Jacksonville:
Ed Neu, his wife Janice and their two sons on the
north side of Jacksonville, and Cmdr John R. Sims and his
yeoman Hyo Soon
Yoo from the parking lot of the local
high school.
At 7:43 p.m. EST, during a beautiful spring evening, the Discovery
lifted above the horizon for all to see. Its trajectory
was to the northeast, giving us an unprecedented view of its ascent
as well as the separation of the solid rocket boosters. What
was truly encouraging about this was all the local residents coming
outside to see this modern marvel. Afterwards, Ed called
to confirm our viewing and we shared notes on it.
Our group then had its monthly dinner meeting at the local restaurant
Sweet Tomatoes on Sunday, March 29, at 6:00 p.m. It was
another great get-together with members Marian LaPlaca
and her daughter Shannon, Hyo Soon
Yoo, Ed and Janice Neu and
their sons Adam and James. Unfortunately,
XO Ryan McDowell was tied up at work again, so he was not
there. The CO discussed his continuing conversations with
the local AMC theater manager concerning our recruitment table
for the upcoming Star Trek
movie. There was a bit of disappointment when I told them
that because of certain restrictions against providing us the
space due to contractual commitments to another in-house company,
we will not be allowed to have a proper table and display. But
the manager will allow us to be there between shows to hand out
flyers to anyone who seems interested. This comes as a shock
to me personally, seeing as when I was with the old Excalibur
chapter in the 1980s and '90s, we had no such problem. The
times are a' changing, eh?
We all had a wonderful dinner and discussed a field trip for the
next meeting, possibly a landing party to the local zoo, seeing
as we missed our opportunity last month or a movie night out.
We may even have another bowling party as well!
Costumes were also discussed. The CO recently bought a pattern
for the male tunic from Roddenbery.com and has made himself a
rather fetching spinach green dress tunic for the evening's events
at the upcoming Dragon*Con. I gave a copy of the pattern
to Janice Neu so that she may be able to outfit her two adorable
sons for the con as well.
Overall, March was a very good month for our ship, indeed. We
are looking forward to getting commissioned at Dragon*Con amongst
all our friends in the Fleet. Our ship would again like
to thank USS Republic
Commanding Officer Captain Eric L. Watts for his unwavering
help and guidance. Our ship would be caught in an interspatial
shift (à la the Defiant)
without him. Thanks, Captain!
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Cmdr
John R. Sims, Ens Hyo Soon
Yoo and Cadets James
and Adam Neu
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Ens
Ed and Cadet James Neu
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Ens
Janice and Cadet Adam
Neu
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Cmdr
John R. Sims and his yeoman Ens Hyo Soon
Yoo
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Ens
Marian LaPlaca and her daughter Shannon
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Cadet
Adam
Neu
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Ship's
LogStardate
200902.00
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Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the USS Exeter
NCC-1706, submitted the following report for February 2009:
The Exeter held its monthly meeting on Sunday, February
22, at the local Golden Corral again. We met at 6:00 p.m.
and had some small ship business to discuss; namely, the CO's
new house and upcoming events like the new Star Trek movie
and Dragon*Con. In attendance was the CO, Cmdr John R.
Sims; his yeoman, Hyo Soon Yoo; and the Neu
family: Ed, Janice, James and Adam.
Everyone else either could not get free from work or had
other commitments. We also continued our discussions on
getting some Starfleet Exeter-style uniforms put together
for the aforementioned events. The meeting went well and
as always, James Neu fascinated us with his tales of ribaldry!
Members of the USS Exeter then had a landing party to the
annual Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games held on the following
Saturday, February 28. The CO had plotted a course that
would save 30 minutes transit time, but there was a bad accident
(probably some cadets in a shuttle trying the "Picard" maneuver
on State Road 16). Needless to say, it was a rough beamdown—it
took about one hour to move one mile!
We finally arrived, paid our admission and made our way in to
the activities. There were several things to enjoy, such
as the falconry exhibit, Scottish dogs on parade, young ladies
competing in the sword dance and plenty of Anglo-Scot foods to
choose from. In attendance for this were the CO, Cmdr John
R. Sims; his yeoman, Hyo Soon Yoo; Julie and
Jordan Cain; and two new prospective members, my Mum &
Dad! My Mum was a big fan of the original show—go figure.
We stayed for the closing ceremonies and then parted ways.
Overall, it was a very nice trip for all parties involved.
I will say that hearing the pipe bands play "Scotland the
Brave" made it more than worthwhile to me personally, being of
Scottish and English descent.
We are hoping to have next month's meeting at the CO's new quarters,
but that is subject to change. The move was very rough,
seeing as he and his yeoman both work conflicting schedules and
very long hours.
The crew of the Exeter would like to thank Capt Eric
L. Watts, our support ship's commanding officer, again for
nursemaiding us through our training period. We all appreciate
it greatly.
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Cmdr
John R. Sims and Ens Jordan Cain
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Ens
Hyo Soon Yoo, Ens Julie Cain and Ens Jordan
Cain
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Ens
Jordan Cain
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Northeast
Florida Scottish Highland Games
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Northeast
Florida Scottish Highland Games
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The
Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games falconry exhibit
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Northeast
Florida Scottish Highland Games
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Northeast
Florida Scottish Highland Games
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Ship's
LogStardate
200901.00
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Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the USS Exeter
NCC-1706, submitted the following report for January 2009:
The USS Exeter had no meeting as such this month. The
chapter's CO, Cmdr John R. Sims, and his yeoman were moving
into a new house and had most of their time occupied dealing with
the logistics of that. The CO did stay in contact with the
crew about this transition. Fortunately, the move went somewhat
smoothly thanks to the help of chapter XO Ens Ryan McDowell.
He volunteered his time and pick-up truck for this adventure.
His services were greatly appreciated indeed, seeing as
he went above and beyond the call of duty for the CO. He
will be recommended for maximum rank assignment when he has taken
and passed his OCC course, seeing as he has shown a great amount
of energy when it comes to helping this chapter and its CO. Also,
new member Ens Marian LaPlaca was instrumental in the packing
of the personal items for my yeoman, Ens Hyo Soon Yoo.
Several late nights of cardboard and tape later, we had
everything packed and ready for transport. Thanks, Marian!
Our next meeting will be a landing party to the local zoo. We
will be studying the beautiful creatures from Earth's 21st century
at this state-of-the-art facility. I will also give the
crew an update on our recruitment display at the upcoming Star
Trek movie premiere. The AMC cinema manager has assured
me of a prime location in the lobby to do "our thing"!
I have also received word that the old STARFLEET chapter from
this area, the USS Excalibur, has expressed an overture
to possibly join us for some events. I will try to establish
subspace communications with the former chapter's CO, Rich
Kovatch, to help facilitate this. It would be really
nice to bring some old Fleeters back to the fold. Even though
I would have loved to attend the upcoming Region 2 Summit, it
is not possible. I will, however, attend next year's, seeing
as hopefully our ship will be commissioned and, work permitting,
we will have the time to do so.
Thanks must go out to our mothership's CO, Captain Eric L.
Watts. He is, simply put... the BEST! The Exeter
appreciates all of his hard work on our behalf. |
Ship's
LogStardate
200812.07
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The
USS Exeter NCC-1706 held its sixth meeting at their
local Pizza Hut restaurant on December 7, 2009. Commander
John R. Sims submitted the following report:
The crew of the USS Exeter held its Christmas
meeting/pizza party at one of the local Pizza Hut restaurants.
We had it in the evening after the bulk of the crew
was free from their work hours. In attendance was
the chapter CO; his yeoman Hyo Soon Yoo; Ed,
Janice, Adam and James Neu;
Marian LaPlaca and her daughter; and a new prospective
member, Buzz Ryan. Buzz was the former CMO
of the USS Powhatan a few years ago and was interested
in checking in on the Fleet. Fortunately, he found
our web site that our mothership's captain, Eric L. Watts,
had made for us. He plans on reenlisting very soon
as he wants to be part of a classic-era vessel! I
updated the group on upcoming events such as the Star
Trek movie premiere, as I have continued to speak with
the manager of the local cinema about our participating
in its opening. He has assured us of the opportunity
for recruitment and hopefully a free screening earlier than
usual. We also discussed some more costuming ideas
so that when our ship beams its landing party down to the
movie premiere and later to Dragon*Con, we will all have
proper attire to reflect our ship’s identity and spirit
of teamwork. The Captain is going to spearhead this
by purchasing the necessary materials, patterns and peripherals,
like boot sources, rank braids and props.
We also discussed some other opportunities to help bring
the positive message that Gene Roddenberry gave us with
Trek. Up for consideration was working
with the Second Harvest Food Bank. They are always
in need of volunteers and hopefully we can work with them
in the next couple of months in any way we can to help this
worthwhile cause. Also, sometime in 2009, the local
museum of science and history will open an exhibit dedicated
to manned spaceflight. The Captain, who has been a
NASA-phile and collector for years, has been contacted by
the museum to help with this by loaning several of his Apollo-era
artifacts, mission-flown items and detailed scale models
that he has built to help explain the first steps into that
last vast unknown, the Final Frontier!
After we all had our fill of pizza and beverages, we said
our goodbyes until the New Year. Our newest member,
Marian LaPlaca’s daughter, who is a hip teenager with
a small knowledge of Trek, was so impressed with
our gathering that she wants to sign up! We must be
doing something right for a modern iPod kid to dig us!
Our next meeting will be a birthday bash held at Ed and
Janice Neu’s quarters. Several of her friends
and family will be there, as well as her Exeter crewmates.
There will be no real Fleet business to speak of,
but if discussions occur, I will relate them in my next
report. Overall, another great meeting and we are
looking forward to the New Year.
We, the command and crew of USS Exeter, would like
to once again thank our support ship and her captain, Eric
L. Watts. His tireless work on our behalf will never
be forgotten. Truly, the best of times! |
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Ensign
Hyo Soon Yoo and Commander John R. Sims,
center, with Adam Neu on the far left and James
Neu on the far right
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Our
newest member, Marian LaPlaca, with her daughter
Shannon
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Two
of our other new members, Ed and Adam Neu
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Those
Exeter
boys sure are adorable!
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Ship's
LogStardate
200811.23
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The
USS Exeter NCC-1706 held its fifth meeting at their local
Golden Corral restaurant on November 23, 2008. Commander
John R. Sims submitted the following report:
Due to the fact that the bulk of my crewmates are coworkers
at Publix grocery stores and we were extremely busy with our schedules
during the holidays, we held an impromptu meeting at the local
Golden Corral restaurant on November 23, 2008. The
members that attended, in addition to myself, were Ensign Hyo
Soon Yoo, XO Ryan McDowell, Ensign Marian LaPlaca
and prospective members Ed & Janice Neu and their two sons,
James and Adam.
The business part of the meeting was very brief, seeing as some
of us had to get back to work, but I did bring up to XO McDowell
his taking the Officers Command College course (required to hold
the XO position) ASAP.
We did have a great time, despite the time crunch, discussing
the new Star Trek movie and the trailer that we had all
seen on the Internet. Also, the apparent early release of
the Star Trek: Phase II episode "Blood and Fire" in
late December. Lots of questions on that, let me tell you!
We also chatted about Janice's upcoming birthday celebration,
as well as mine. That get-together will be for our group
only, seeing as many of Janice's family members will be there
and we do not want to make anyone uncomfortable. The food
at the Golden Corral was surprisingly good, considering that it
is a family buffet and usually, it all tastes the same at those
places. James, the elder son of Ed & Janice, entertained
us all with his rather compelling stories, which he has an incredible
ability to tell in a rather three-dimensional way. We ate
our fill, had some laughs at the CO's expense, and when we were
finished with dessert, awarded our newest member, Marian LaPlaca,
with one of our chapter polo shirts as a welcoming gift. She
was very surprised and grateful. She's been a fan of
the original Trek for a long time and had no idea that
groups such as ours existed. Welcome aboard, Marian! She's
found a new home and family. Unfortunately, none of us had
the foresight to bring a camera, so that beautiful moment was
lost. Hopefully, we will not let that happen again, seeing
as Janice has volunteered to make a hardcopy scrapbook ("Captain's
log") of our meetings and landing parties.
We did receive a subspace transmission from our illustrious Regional
Coordinator, Jack Eaton, concerning attending one of our
meetings. This would be a great opportunity for one of the
upper echelons to see a new chapter in its early stages of future
(Omega) glory! We will stay in touch with Jack and hopefully
he can attend our meeting in February, when we can host him properly.
We are still planning to have a recruitment table at the upcoming
Star Trek movie opening and I have stayed in contact with
the management of the local AMC theatre. This will be another
great opportunity for the Exeter. The local newspaper
is also interested in attending one of our meetings prior to the
opening to get our reactions and probably ask the same old questions,
but that's okay. We live to serve the Empire! Oops,
I meant STARFLEET!
As for the Commander and crew of the USS Exeter, we would
again like to extend our thanks to the BEST chapter CO in the
Fleet, Captain Eric L. Watts! He and his crew have
been a true inspiration to me and my shipmates. I think
you folks at headquarters should pin another medal on this fellow's
chest, as he has gone above and beyond the call of duty for my
chapter and we will NEVER forget it.
Godspeed to STARFLEET, our mothership, the USS Republic,
and to the crew of USS Exeter! |
Ship's
LogStardate
200810.31
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The
USS Exeter NCC-1706 held its fourth meeting at the Orlando
Vulkon convention from Friday, October 31, to Sunday, November
2, 2008. Commander John R. Sims submitted the
following report:
October was a very busy month for our chapter. We all
work for the same company, Publix, and it was time for our quarterly
inventories, which can be very hectic. When we had
a free moment or two, we got together to discuss the fast-approaching
Vulkon fall show. All our trip plans came together as we
all bought our tickets and got rooms at the hotel with the help
of prospectve member Janice Neu. She also created
some very nice polo shirts for us to wear at a reasonable price. My
yeoman, Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo, and I arrived at the show
Friday afternoon. We relaxed and spoke with some other
early arrivals, which included me meeting up with my old friend,
Joe Motes. We spoke about conventions of today as opposed
to the ones I used to work staff on when he was the promoter. Very
insightfull! After dinner, we picked up our tickets
and called it a night.
The next morning, we took a gander in the dealers room and attended
the Trek chat forum. Afterwards, we met up with
the Neu family and spent the rest of the day with them. I
informed them about us finaly getting approved as a chapter-in-training,
which was well-receieved. Ed, Janice
and their sons, Adam and James, have been very active
with the group. They will be officially joining the
Fleet when Ed gets his bonus in a few weeks.
Around 6:00 p.m., we all went to Bob Evans for some homestyle
cookin'! Afterwards, we hurried back to the con for
the evening's activities. My ensign and I got into
our brand-spanking-new classic Trek USS Exeter uniforms
and headed downstairs. On the way down, we shared an
elevator with Terry Farrell ("Jadzia Dax" from Deep Space
Nine). She was very nice and loved our outfits! We
then hung out at the Klingon bar, watched Billy Mumy play and
sing, and awaited the costume contest, which was interesting,
to say the least.
On Sunday, we all met again in the lobby and attended a few more
activities. By 3:00, we were ready to go on to our
next adventure: the Kennedy Space Center! My yeoman and
I were alone for this part of the landing party. We
went on the KSC "Then and Now" tour, during which we
were able to see the old Mercury and Gemini launch sites and firing
rooms. This tour ends with a stop at the Saturn V center,
which has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
On Tuesday, Hyo and I went over to the Astronaut Hall of Fame
and spent about four hours enjoying the rich history of America's
space program. We then set course for home. After
arriving back in Jacksonville, I phoned all the members to give
them a rundown on the Space Center and the con. Unfortunately,
XO Ryan McDowell and Ensign Chris Hamm could not
be with us due to work schedule conflicts. Maybe next
time, guys? |
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Back
row: Ed Neu, Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo, Commander
John R. Sims. Front row: Janice,
James and Adam Neu.
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Ensign
Hyo Soon Yoo and Commander John R. Sims
visiting with some of the locals.
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Commander
John R. Sims and Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo
meeting up with fellow ship mates.
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Ensign
Hyo Soon Yoo, Commander John R. Sims
and Ed Neu taking a break.
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James
Neu looking at some of the memorabilia.
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Littlest
member Adam Neu sleeping at the end of a long
day.
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Commander
John R. Sims getting
dressed up for the festivities.
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Commander
John R. Sims and Ensign
Hyo Soon Yoo all dressed up.
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Commander
John R. Sims
being a little more serious.
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Ship's
LogStardate
200809.07
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The
USS Exeter NCC-1706 held its third meeting on Sunday, September
7, 2008. Commander John R. Sims submitted the
following report:
The crew of the USS Exeter held its third meeting at
the Bowl America in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, September
7, 2008. We thought we'd take a page from our mothership
activities. In attendance were Commander John R. Sims,
Yeoman Hyo Soon Yoo and XO Ryan McDowell, as well
as prospective members Ed and Janice Neu and their two
sons.
We arrived at 6:00 p.m. and held a brief business meeting. The
subjects discussed were our plans for polo shirts, the upcoming
Vulkon and recruitment to our chapter.
After this, we enjoyed a few games of bowling. The scores
were not that great, but the overall fun was! Ed & Janice
Neu's two sons made the night. Watching these two little dynamos
bowl was too cute for words.
We adjourned to some bowling alley food and had a good time just
being together, getting excited about the convention and eating
some pizza and fried corn thingies. Overall, another successful
outing for our new chapter.
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday evening at Vulkon Orlando
at the North Orlando Hilton on October 31 to November 2, 2008.
We are hoping to get together with the USS Paegen
and any other ships present at the con.
My crew and I would again like to thank Captain Eric L. Watts
for his support, advice and guidance. He is truly a great leader
that should not be taken for granted. |
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Standing:
Ensign Ryan McDowell, Ed Neu, Commander
John R. Sims, Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo, and
(in front) Janice Neu and the Neus' kids at the
Bowl America in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Ed
Neu, Commander John R. Sims, Ensign Hyo
Soon Yoo and Ensign Ryan McDowell at Jacksonville's
Bowl America, the Exeter's first public outing
as a group, September 7, 2008.
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Ship's
LogStardate
200808.10
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The
USS Exeter NCC-1706 held its second meeting on Sunday,
August 10, 2008. Commander John R. Sims submitted
the following report:
On Sunday, August 10, the crew of the USS Exeter convened
for its second meeting, held at the home of the Commanding Officer. Exeter
XO Ensign Ryan McDowell and Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo
were in attendance, and were visited by four new prospective members:
Ed and Janice New and their two young sons. Ensign
Julie Cain and Ensign JG Jordan Cain made a brief
visit on their way to a function of Jordan's; Ensign Chris
Hamm could not attend due to a bad back injury from work.
After introductions, minutes from the previous meeting were read. Issues
discussed included recruitment, group activities and costuming. One
of the guests, Janice New, is a seamstress who will help as quartermaster
for the design and construction of off-duty polo shirts.
Two other topics were also discussed: the upcoming third meeting
and bowling party, as well as the fall Vulkon convention. The
crew discussed hotel accommodations, tickets and carpooling. I
also informed the crew of my discussions with the manager of the
local AMC theater concerning the upcoming Star Trek movie. The
manager was very cordial and said that he'd be happy to help us
when the time came.
I also informed the crew of my intentions to file the Exeter's
Vessel Registration Request (VRR) forms, an important step towards
the shuttle's becoming a commissioned chapter. Hopefully,
we will get these forms through the system before the Exeter's
trip to Vulkon.
The Exeter crew and our guests then adjourned to delicacies
prepared by Ensign Yoo and watched the Star Trek: New Voyages
episode "World Enough and Time" (which includes a scene
with the Republic's very own Commander Brian Holloway
as a security guard). Everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously,
especially Ed and Janice's two young sons, both of whom were mesmerized
by the Commanding Officer's NASA collectibles.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, September 7, at the
Bowl America in Jacksonville. My crew and I wish to
thank Captain Watts and the crew of the Republic for their
continuing support. "Surely, the best of times."
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Commander
John R. Sims --- STARFLEET's #1 Red Sox fan! ---
presides over the USS Exeter's
second meeting on August 10.
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XO
Ensign Ryan McDowell, guests Janice and Ed New
with their two sons, and the CO's yeoman, Ensign Hyo
Soon Yoo.
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Ship's
LogStardate
200806.22
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The
USS Exeter NCC-1706 held its first organizational meeting
on Sunday, June 22, 2008. Commander John R. Sims
submitted the following report:
At 5:30 p.m. EST, the core members of our chapter-in-training
convened at Commander John R. Sims' quarters. The
members were Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo, Ensign Chris "Tex"
Hamm and Ensign Ryan McDowell. Although we were
expecting three other members to attend, they bowed out at the
last minute due to personal reasons that the Commander deemed
justified.
During the meeting, we discussed STARFLEET, our place in it and
what we as a chapter can do to enhance its strength, short-term
goals such as OTS and OCC exams, filing MSRs and recruitment ideas.
We also discussed the delegation of duties as our chapter grows
and raising funds for a web site and newsletter, costuming, attending
conventions and accommodations by selling personal items and collectibles,
as well as artistic creations by the CO and XO on eBay. The
CO has been selling his works on eBay since 2002 and his perfect
rating will help facilitate this. The CO's user name is
"moonwalkerjohn."
Other activities discussed were volunteering with the local Museum
of Science & History, landing parties to the zoo, local theatre
and dinners out. Not to mention our attending the upcoming Vulkon
in Orlando in October in full Exeter uniforms!
Long-term plans are to help the Fleet by recruitment, staying
active on all fronts, and to set an example for others to follow.
Just as our mothership, the Republic, has done under the
command of Captain Eric L. Watts!
After all the business was completed, we adjourned to some incredible
Korean dishes prepared by my yeoman, Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo. The
treats included beef tips in garlic, noodles and vegetables and
sushi.
We gathered around the TV and watched the Star Trek: New Voyages
episode "In Harm's Way." Seeing as this fan film as well
as Starship Exeter inspired me to return to the Fleet,
it only seemed appropriate.
Afterwards, we discussed meeting again at the end of July and
bid our farewells. Overall, the meeting went very well and
this new chapter has a long and prosperous future.
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Ensign
Chris "Tex" Hamm, Ensign Ryan McDowell
and Ensign Hyo Soon Yoo enjoy Korean cuisine
at the USS Exeter's first meeting.
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Commander
John R. Sims presided over the first organizational
meeting of the USS Exeter NCC-1706 on Sunday,
June 22, 2008.
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