STAR TREK FAN CLUB EARNS STATE AWARDS FOR LETTER CAMPAIGN

Messages of "live long and prosper" sent by the local Star Trek fan club delivered state honors in a national Mail for Our Military campaign.

The local club, U.S.S. Sally Ride, was the top group in Missouri for both the Christmas and Valentine's Day letter writing campaign. Club members sent a total of 219 cards.

Mail for Our Military is just one of the club's list of service projects.

Rick Lamb, commanding officer of U.S.S. Sally Ride, said, "The primary thing that draws everyone together is our common interest in Star Trek. But this chapter and Starfleet, our international organization, has a profound community service effort."

Club members collect for FISH food drives, have adopted a mile of Missouri highway, adopt a family each Christmas and work for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, among other activities.

"Plus there is a social, family atmosphere," Lamb said. "We have lot of barbecues, play cards, talk. We do attend a lot of Star Trek and science fiction conventions as a group."

With another organization, Continuum, the group sponsors a Star Trek Convention. The fourth one is planned for 1995.

Club members also participate in local parades and other events dressed in Star Trek costumes. "We get a lot of calls to do that," said Yvonne Arnzen, chief of community service.

"We prefer Trekkers, not Trekkies," said Arnzen. "We're not weirdoes. We live in the real world. We would say `Hi Mr. Nimoy' not `Hi Spock.'"

Lamb said Star Trek fan clubs sometimes don't get a lot of respect. "We are not out there in left field," he said. "When we tell people we are involved in Mail for Our Military, FISH, Adopt a Highway and all these other projects, then we get some credibility."

Arnzen received a flier in the mail asking organizations to participate in the Mail for Our Military campaign.

"We thought this was a worthy cause to help boost morale of people in the military," Arnzen said.

Club members were asked to write a holiday greeting in Christmas and Valentine's Day cards. The club paid for postage.

"It was really a very simple project," Arnzen said.

They got a bonus. One recipient wrote back. Bridgett Schoolfield, who serves in the Navy, wrote back that the note she received was appreciated. She also wrote that many Navy personnel are interested in Star Trek.

"It was so nice to hear back that we brought a little bit of sunshine to brighten someone's day," Arnzen said.

Club members are chipping in nickels and quarters to fund postage for next year's campaign.

Three families in the group received special recognition for sending more than 25 cards each. Jean and Mary Hampton wrote 50 cards. Jeffrey and Yvonne Arnzen wrote 25 cards and Robin Lynch wrote 26 cards.

Others participating in the letter writing campaign were Cyndi and Mike Atkinson, Juli Aldredge, Tim Statler, Diane Brooks, Roy and Janie McGaugh, Kelle McGrew, Greg Robinson, Mary Britzman, Carl Klose, Marie Lade, Julianna Aldredge, Diane Brooks, Tim Statler, Rick Lamb, Shawn Swift, Mike Cannon and Juanita Swift.