1995 - 01/1995 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Update: 09/25/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 02/25/08.

LEORA BAEDER

Castles of England

MARK PLUNKETT / PAUL RUSSELL

Amazing Science Fiction and Horror Trivia Game

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: January 14, 1995.

Meeting Site: Saddle River Valley Cultural Center, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Official Attendance: 39.

Meeting Program: Talk on Castles. Participating in SF Trivia Game.

Notes:

Susan Musial is an attorney who specializes in copyright law.

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESSS Copyright 1995 Philip J De Parto:

The January 14, 1995 meeting of the Association was held in the Saddle River Valley Cultural Center in Upper Saddle River. Leora Baeder and Susan Musial were scheduled to do presentations, but Ms Musial became ill with the flu and had to bow out. Therefore, we improvised.

Leora led off with a slide show of British castles shot during her most recent trip there. Her first slide was a map of England so that she could point out where the different castles were actually located. The slide was out of focus and got worse before it got better. As we played with the focus knob, Tom Zych brought down the house declaiming, "This blur, this blot, this England!"

The slide show consisted of a number of shots of Arundel, Bodian, Dover, Chepston, Conway, Leeds, and other castles, as well as the Brighton Pavilion and a couple of manor houses. They ranged from simple motte and baileys (tower on a hill with a wall) to elaborate fortifications. Particular emphasis was placed on defensive features like moats, murder holes, portcullises, etc. A bit of the historical circumstances concerning how and why each edifice was built was covered. One cluster of castles was built to defend against a possible invasion from France, for example, while another was built to control access to Wales. It was sad to see how many castles are in disrepair due to being "slighted," deliberately damaged, to stop them from falling into enemy hands during the British civil war. Ms Baeder also brought models of a number of castles to display.

After the break, we conducted the second part of our program. Mark Plunkett and Paul Russell from the AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION AND HORROR TRIVIA GAME agreed to run a game. Most people crowded around a table set up on the stage to play or watch, while others viewed a movie in the basement, while another group stood and talked in the kitchen. The Steve Ferrara, Brian Gonigal, Roy Greenberg team carried the day.

The Final Frontier met at 6:00 PM and had a good turnout and a lively discussion of the STAR TREK: GENERATIONS movie and talked about the upcoming VOYAGER series. This was easily the Frontier's best gathering. The group is just starting to come into its own.

Steven Ferrera, Mickey Nelson, Carol Smith, Barry Weinberger, and Robert Yeatger won free prizes of books. Elizabeth Grout was awarded a free admission as a "bounty" for having recruited new member Elizabeth Donahue. About 14 of us ventured out to the Horizon Diner after the meeting.