“She is in the Sky”

“She is in the Sky”

That’s a recent quote from one of Jennifer Cole’s fandoms, Dr. Who.  He first love was always Star Trek.  And she was always very involved in Star Trek fandom, from captaining a starship (as the President of a Star Trek fan club), to staring in and directing many fan films.  You can read a great article by Jonathan Lane of her many fan films here: https://fanfilmfactor.com/2024/06/26/r-i-p-jennifer-cole-1967-2024-of-star-trek-hidden-frontier/

Jennifer passed away this past Wednesday just before noon.  I’m still heart-broken and will be for a long time.  She was a dear friend, always positive, never a hater, and remained active in fandom as long as her health allowed. 

I met Jen back in 1987 because of Star Trek.  When Kris and I got back together (that’s a whole other story in of itself) she introduced me to the Star Trek fan club, the U.S.S. Achernar.  Jen was a member of that club.  Shortly after, we branched off to form our own club, the U.S.S. Alliance.  We started having disciplinary problems with our first Captain (club President).  No one wants to stand up to a club President and tell him he must step down, but Jen did and read him off our complaints.  We voted him out and shortly after, voted her as our next Captain.  She remained our Captain until the Alliance disbanded seven years later, running unopposed every year.

The U.S.S. Angeles had spun off from us by then, and even though she wasn’t the Captain, I always continued to call her my Captain.  And it was in this club that she made all those fan films.

We attended uncounted conventions and events together.  From the one-day L.A. Comic-Con back in the 80’s at the Shrine Auditorium the day before Kris’ and mine’s wedding, to Gallifrey One when it was a 300-attendee convention to its present status as the United States’ biggest Dr. Who Convention at over 3,000 attendees.

Baycon, Timecon, Alien Nation Con, Free Con.  Sharing a room with a half-dozen other fans overlooking the lovely cement factory in Fresno.   Waiting in movie lines.  Picnics.  Blood drives and dinner at Carl’s Junior after the blood drives.  Watching the Timey Wimey Puppet Show at Gallifrey.  Club meetings at our place.  So many memories.

Always a joy to be around.  Never a drama queen.  And she could handle a crisis when it came up.  A true friend in real life beyond fandom.  I cannot say enough about her.

She will always be my Captain.

Smooth sailing, Nex Jenn.  “Out there, that away.”

Dennis

223th blog completed.

First Steampunk novel:  76,731 words.  ß Past 76,000.  Goal:  80,000.

Second Steampunk novel: 783 words. 

Second Steampunk screenplay:  157 pages.

First Steampunk screenplay:  Need to update with notes from the novelization.

Third Steampunk screenplay:  38 pages.