Proud member of Region Three of STARFLEET, the international Star Trek fan association

back to index - December 2003 - November 2003 - October 2003 - September 2003 - August 2003 - July 2003 - June 2003

Saturday, December 20th: Our first Christmas holiday party was held at the home of members Jan and Allen Agee in Allen, Texas. Ed and Robyn brought a spiral-sliced ham. Other members brought homemade cookies, side dishes, chips, and drinks. The entire party was carefully supervised by Jan's cats Cookie and Kuni.

The party was attended by Robyn and Ed, Jan and Allen, Greg, Elizabeth, Erik and his wife Wanda, plus Shannon and her two children Jordan and Laura. The youngsters may join us as cadets in the near future.

We held a "Ferengi gift exchange" and all adult attendees brought a gift valued at about $10. One at a time, we chose whether to pick a wrapped gift from the pile or to 'acquire' one of the gifts opened by another member. Gifts were picked, gifts were swiped, fun was had. The Shuttle provided the kids with appropriate gifts so everybody got something nice.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Monday, December 15th: CO Robyn Winans and Communications Officer Ed Dravecky loaded up Ed's SUV with the toys the Shuttle has collected at the Dallas Comic Con as well as some other donations. Arrangements had been made to meet up with the United States Marines coordinating this year's drive at their main warehouse in Grand Prairie, Texas. We just missed the major but we spent some time with the gunnery sergeant and his men. Thanks again to all of your for making this first Toys For Tots drive a success for the Shuttle and for making Christmas brighter for the kids of north Texas. We're doing it all again next year.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Sunday, December 14th: Our December monthly meeting was held at Spring Creek Barbecue in Richardson. This was our final meeting at the restaurant. Starting in January, we'll be meeting at the Half Price Books main store in Dallas.

This meeting was sparsely attended with only Robyn, Liz, and Jan present. The flu and other medical maladies kept attendance to an all-time low. Plans were finalized for the Shuttle's Christmas party to be held on Saturday the 20th. Robyn will bring a ham for the main course and other members will bring side dishes and snacks. We will do a "Ferengi gift exchange" so all attendees are encouraged to bring a gift valued at about $10. Communications Officer Ed Dravecky was one of the many waylaid by flu so there are no pictures from this event. Sorry.

Sunday, November 9th: Our November monthly meeting was held at Spring Creek Barbecue in Richardson. This was our first second-Sunday meeting as we prepare for a permanent public meeting place. Meeting on the third Sunday was such a good idea that another group had already booked the room for all of 2004. Starting in January, we'll be meeting at the Half Price Books main store in Dallas.

This meeting was the first for new member Shannon Malone. After greeting and eating (the barbecue, not the new member), department heads gave their reports. We also got medical updates on Debbie and Erik. The points system and constitution for the club are coming along well. We have the required number of members now and we're on course for a Feburary commissioning.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Members helped out with guest escorts, registration, and security. Dallas Comic Con provided us with a table for recruiting and our first Toys For Tots collection drive. Comic Con attendees were offered a Return of the King mini-poster and Matrix Revolutions t-shirt (both generously donated by Ben Stevens and C2 Ventures) in exchange for any new, unwrapped toy. Our goal was to fill two large moving boxes we had decorated for the occasion. By the end of the weekend, the fans and dealers had donated enough toys to overflow four boxes!

Along with our duties and our charity work, we were also given the opportunity to pose for a photo with Brad Dourif and John Rhys-Davies, each of whom made memorable guest appearances on Star Trek: Voyager. Thanks once again to the Dallas Comic Con! We look forward to next year where we hope to do as well for the children of North Texas at the special time of year.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Sunday, October 19th: Our October monthly meeting was held at Spring Creek Barbecue in Richardson. This was our last meeting on the third Sunday of the month as we switch to our new standard meeting date and time, the second Sunday of the month at 1:30 pm, beginning in November.

We made final preparations for our chapter to work the Dallas Comic Con at the end of this month. We will be holding our first Toys for Tots toy-drive at the Comic Con. Department heads presented their reports and all is still well as we progress towards our planned commissioning in mid-December. Work on the by-laws was transferred to Debbie Winters and Erik Cowand now heads our awards committee. Debbie, Linda, and Greg were absent unexpectedly and Robert continues his recovery. We wish him all the best for quick return to active duty.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Sunday, September 21st: Our September monthly meeting was held at Debbie Winters' house in Dallas. We entertained guests from the USS Joshua who invited us to their annual Halloweeen bash in Dallas. Once they had departed, we settled down to club business.

Our new standard meeting date and time will be the second Sunday of the month at 1:30 pm. This change was made to allow us to seek out the Half Price Books community room for our standard meeting place. Our old date/time combination was so perfect that a women's mystery novel discussion group had already chosen it and booked the room well into the forseeable future. This change will take effect with our November meeting so that the October meeting does not itself conflict with the Slanted Fedora event that day. (See the calendar for details.)

We also looked at t-shirt designs from XO Elizabeth Weber and USS Bethel XO Byron Flynt. A few modifications were suggested and final designs will be seen in October. Preparations are underway for our chapter to work the Dallas Comic Con in late October. We will be holding a Toys for Tots toy-drive in conjunction with this event. We encourage everybody to bring a new unwrapped toy to donate to this worthy cause.

Department heads presented their reports and all is well as we progress towards our planned commissioning in December or January. We still need to work on the by-laws and recruit that elusive tenth member. Debbie will be joining the by-law working group as Linda Patton steps in as OPS for the ailing Erik Cowand. We wish Erik all the best for a speedy recovery.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Sunday, August 17th: Our August monthly meeting was held at the Luby's restaurant in Vallew View Center. We decided on a motto, one taken from the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of Texas: 'one and indivisible.' This motto represents our strength, commitment, and purpose as we serve the community and enjoy fellowship. We also narrowed the field of candidates for ship's logo to two and decided that our official colors, like this website, are blue and white.

Science Officer Debbie Winters brought us up to date on the approach of Mars this month. Medical Officer Jan Agee passed along some helpful information. Executive Officer Elizabeth Weber showed off some new artwork for the Marine Strike Group and distributed printed agendas to the members. Robert, Linda, and Erik were unexpectedly absent and Allen is still in his undisclosed location, just like the Vice-President. We do now have a photo of Allen on the Members page, btw.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Saturday, August 16th: Region Three's 5th Annual Pool and Darts Tournament was held at Killeen/Heights Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #2179 in Harker Heights, Texas. The eight sectors of the region faced off in challenging darts contests like cricket and 801 plus standard pool games of 8-ball and 9-ball. Shuttle CO Robyn Winans helped fill out a team for Sector Five and help propel them to victory in the darts tournament. Communications Officer Ed Dravecky nursed an injured heel but took a few photos to share the fun with those who could not attend.

The third Saturday of every month is steak night at the Moose lodge and the members once again generously let us participate. A big, juicy steak with salad, corn, and a baked potato were enjoyed by most in attendance. The whole meal was a thrifty $8. We look forward to our next visit next year and we hope to see you there as well.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Friday, August 1st through Sunday, August 3rd: Shuttle Trinity River CO Robyn Winans and Region Three Chief of Operations journeyed to STARFLEET's 2003 International Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Holiday Inn-Airport in Greensboro. The big news out of IC 2003 was that Region Three will be the host of IC 2005 in San Antonio. Below are a few selected pictures from their trip. Their entire two-week adventure is detailed on the Robyn and Pat's Big Adventure page.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Sunday, July 27th: Our monthly chapter meeting was held at the Souper Salad in Plano by Collin Creek Mall. We decided to hold regular meetings every month at 1:00pm on the third Sunday of every month. The first issue of the Trinity River Express newsletter was distributed to all members.

Several ideas for the club's logo and motto were discussed and a first draft of our recruiting flyer was handed out. Several club members received promotions and awards presented by CO Robyn Winans and USS Bethel CO Joy Flynt. Department heads gave status reports and notes were taken. Soup was enjoyed by all and we thank the nice people at Souper Salad for letting us meet on a busy Sunday afternoon.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Saturday, July 19th: Shuttle Trinity River CO Robyn Winans and RVA Ed Dravecky represented the Shuttle at Quark's charity casino night in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted by the USS Comanche. This year's event raised just over $400 for the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas. Alan Goulet of the Comanche announced that he would personally match this fund bringing the total donation to the IEFF from Region Three to over $800. Way to go, Alan!

The casino portion of the evening included wagering on Klingon warriors battling in full costume (in the Texas July heat!) and very generous blackjack tables. The bars of latinum thus obtained were used to win items in a charity auction at the end of the evening. Bidding was spirited but everybody walked away with some new sci-fi keepsakes and the knowledge that they had helped keep the big cats alive for future generations.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Members helped out with guest escorts, registration, security, and the distribution of 'freebies' to the attendees. The Expo provided us with a table for recruiting and we made many new friends over the weekend. We were also generously given the opportunity to pose for a photo with Jennifer Lien.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Friday, July 4th: Shuttle Trinity River celebrated Independence Day with a cookout hosted by commanding officer FCPT Robyn Winans. Hamburgers and hotdogs were accompanied by dishes brought by crew members like fresh-grilled corn and homemade coleslaw. Fun and fellowship were accompanied by some ship's business. Several promotions of crew members who did not attend Summit were made and Captain Winans made a presentation of tokens of office to her staff to celebrate the new shuttle.

Cadet Crewman Cain D. Winans was in attendance for the first time and was described by his crewmates as "so pretty" and "such a good boy." Cadet Winans had no comment but did appear to enjoy the hotdogs very much.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Friday, June 20th through Sunday, June 22nd 2003: Shuttle Trinity River was formally launched at the Region 3 Summit in College Station, Texas. Four members made the trip: Robyn Winans, Erik Cowand, Jan Agee, and Ed Dravecky. Several members were promoted, given commendations, and otherwise recognized for their hard work and dedication over the past year.

The region was also introduced to Lobo, the ship's mascot. Lobo was so named for the class of ship being built to be commissioned as the USS Trinity River. Lobo was rescued from captivity at a Dallas Dave and Buster's restaurant after crew members pooled their game tickets to come up with the 1200 required for his release.

Click on a photo to see a much larger version.

Thursday, June 12th: Shuttle Trinity River was launched.

Last updated 30 May 2005

Text and images Copyright 2003-2005 by USS Trinity River, Dallas, Texas.
"Star Trek" Trademark by Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.