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| INTRODUCTION Introduction Original Introductions THE HISTORY SFMC
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Two Since it’s founding in 1975, the vast majority of STARFLEET’s members were under the age of 18. In an attempt to help these younger members get up to speed, the USS Columbia was created as the official Academy Training ship and all members under fourteen were assigned to it as Academy cadets. Once they showed they knew the ropes, they received their commission and joined the chapter of their choice. Membership dues also rose to $4.00 for new members, with renewals remaining $3.00. As the concept of Regional Coordinators had yet to be formed, all chapter COs sent their reports to the Command Assistance Committee (CAC). The CAC also served as a place for COs to get information and report problems. Commodore Brandt Heatherington replaced Admiral T’Ling (Donna Sutton) and Captain Pam Rhine as the head of CAC in December of 1978. Membership continued to grow, with four hundred thirty-one members and eighteen starships by the end of 1978, including four outposts that became full chapters: the USS Saratoga in Washington State (formerly Outpost Bethulia III), the USS Lexington (Outpost Lanceator) in Virginia, the USS Farragut (Outpost Dervish) in North Dakota, and the USS Monitor (Outpost Ophiucus) in Pennsylvania. Starfleet Communications moved to a legal-sized format (since more information could be included at a lower cost) and continued to have dozens of articles on Star Trek (including information on Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and started to include graphics for the first time. 1979 was when STARFLEET really began to grow up as a fan club. A formal Organizational Chart was put into place reflecting actual military structure to allow the club to function more efficiently. Vice Admiral Heatherington has replaced Admiral Sutton as Chief of Personnel and published a list of important announcements concerning this new structure in Issue #13 of Starfleet Communications. Commodore John Wetsch expanded STARFLEET Academy with new courses, which was continued under new Commandant Rear Admiral David C. Wilton. Chief of Communications Vice Admiral Mike Lyons continued to enhance Starfleet Communications. At the high point of the Longshaw Administration, STARFLEET could boast 16 active starships and 35 planetary outposts (predecessor to the current Shakedown Operations Program), and a total number of 700 members by October of 1979. Fleet Admiral Adeline Longshow passed away October 23, 2010. |