While cataloging the books in the Fortress of Markitude into a database -- we're on book #1151 so far, and not ALL are Super-related, believe it or not! -- I've become reacquainted with some old friends, bookwise that is.
You know, I've been blessed with many wonderful human-type acquaintances, too!
One of them is dear ol' Larry Nemecek, the ThunderChief himself. From Noble, Oklahoma, (south of Norman which is south of Moore which is south of OKC), Larry went to college in Ada and to OU, before working on the Norman Transcript.
A Star Trek fan since forever, Larry was a member of STAR OKC long before I signed in in 1980. ( That's the Star Trek Association for Revival in case you wondered.) And as a deep fan of nerdy arcana (sounds like somebody 
you're reading, eh?), he was thrilled by Bjo Trimble's A Star Trek Concordance. Yes, the original Ballantine version with the saucer-wheel cover.
you're reading, eh?), he was thrilled by Bjo Trimble's A Star Trek Concordance. Yes, the original Ballantine version with the saucer-wheel cover.
So when a NEW STAR TREK series showed up, Larry dusted off his index cards and got to work on "concording" Star Trek: The Next Generation. Actually, I think he used a Mac.
And, since the fan-run, established SoonerCon in OKC was a "litcon, " he also thought OKC would be a great place to hold a "media con," and set about it.
The first ThunderCon was in 1991, and Larry was head of the ConComm, hence the title (invented by myself, I must add) ThunderChief. Later on his wife, Janet Kelley-later-Nemecek, inherited the title, along with other fans later on.
For a while it was a tradition at Oklahoma City cons (usually ThunderCons) to be able to buy Larry's newest Trek concordance. It was a great way to show our love and support for this wonderful guy. He worked unbelievably hard on these, which led to ...
Well, that's the topic of a further post.
It feels weird to be Dusty Arcana already, Mark!--ths was just the other day, right? But I do want to note that while TCon began in 1991, SCon started in '86, and I was very much on the concomm of the former, first... and that TNG-1 came out the fall of '88 at SCon 3 .. .and annually there and only there. Otherwise the "deadline" would have been bumped from October to June--ack! And some of those finale TNG episodes didn't air UNTIL June or late May. TNG-5, the last one, DID get off-schedule and came out at TCon 3, in '93, after the "real" book came out in 92 and "distratced." But like you said, another tale for another time ...
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