Captain’s Blog Goodbye Summer 2010, hello Autumn!

Written by Laura Victor on September 3, 2010. Posted in Challenger News

We are finishing up the summer season with Atomicon XXI on Aug. 29 and holding our end of summer picnic on our patch of sand dunes next to our adopted dune on 8th Avenue Ortley Beach following our September meeting on Labor Day weekend.
Where did the summer go? No big mystery there, it was busy.
We we were honored to learn “officially” during Shore Leave in July, that the USS Challenger was named Starfleet-Region 7 Chapter of the Year” which was a great honor for us. An honor we greatly appreciate.
This fall will hold many of the usual autumn festivals we frequent such as the Greek Festival in Toms River, the Lakewood Ren Faire and some of us will be walking for a good cause Juvenile Diabetes, along with our friends from the USS Avenger during the first weekend of October on the boardwalk of Seaside Heights.
Our annual Halloween party will return to the Seaside Heights Community Center, our home base on Saturday Oct. 30 which will allow us to branch out a bit from the confines of the bungalow. We will hold some contests and award some prizes this year bringing back those times of years gone by when the Challenger hosted the Region 7 Halloween party.  The event will be open to chapters of the 7th Fleet.
Other plans include a possibly trip to Wild West City in North Jersey and that postponed trip to the Willingboro Flea Market. I know Zoolo World will bring back its big Toy and Collectible Show to Willingboro on Sat. Oct. 2 and I hope to make that.
Yes, the USS Challenger has been busy this year and part of that also includes the updating of our ship manual which is available to members through our website. Our Communications Chief Laura Victor has also updated the entire website and we are sporting a nifty new logo which reflects our spirit of fun and the Jersey Shore. Great work.
We love hearing from those checking out website and fans of ST and Sci Fi. Please let us know what you think of our site and your thoughts about our club.
Meanwhile, work continues on the Challenger’s biggest project ever, the Starfleet International Conference of 2011 which now has 70 people registered but we certainly want more. Check out  http://www.ic2011.com and see what we have planned and other details.
First Officer Jeff Victor and I will be among those attending and coordinating the first ever Starfleet-Region 7 Command Summit. This special program which will be held on Sept. 25 at the Double Tree Hotel in Mt. Laurel, is designed to bring together those leaders of chapters around the region. We will be brain storming, learning from each other and making plans for future multi-chapter events. You don’t have to be a chapter chairman or vice chapter chairman to attend. The event is free and everyone is welcome.
That event will also have special significance for the USS Challenger as it will also be the occasion to note the commissioning of the USS Storm, the region’s newest chapter. The Challenger served as its support chapter and it is based nearby in Atlantic County.
That’s all for now. I hope you had a fantastic summer and will have a great autumn as well.
Admiral Bob Vosseller
CO USS Challenger
Vice Region Coordinator Region 7

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ATOMICON XXI Adventures!

Written by Laura Victor on September 3, 2010. Posted in Challenger News

Another dollar got me the pilot of the original Bionic Woman that I started to watch last night and brought back fond memories, except for Lee Majors singing the love song from that first episode. I also bought more She Hulk comics. Yeah both Savage and Sensational and just plain She Hulk) along with …Kazar, Capt. Atom, Dr. Doom, Bat Man, Dracula. We also visited Ken Dohn, Challenger’s security chief who sadly, is back in the hospital at CMC.

Where did the summer go? Well it was a busy one but now my thoughts are moving ahead to a lot of fall events some of which I’ll be covering for work others I’ll be attending as a Challenger trip and some in both roles.

Hope you all had a great summer. Jen is suggesting a trip to visit the Three Stooges Museum.

Adm. Bob Vosseller
CO USS Challenger

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Home from IC 2010… Bob got a Lifetime Membership!

Written by Laura Victor on August 7, 2010. Posted in Challenger News

Only one person may be awarded this honor per year and, according to STARFLEET, will have shown achievement well beyond their last promotion and in their work have made a lasting contribution to all of STARFLEET. Bob certainly fit this criteria, and Fleet Admiral Sal Lizard presented Bob this great honor during this evening’s IC Banquet.

As Bob was “exiled” from the room so we could talk about him behind his back, er, I mean discuss and vote on this issue, I had the unique honor of being able to motion for and vote for my friend of almost 20 years being given this great award. Having unanimously passed the AB, Bob joins many of STARFLEET’s most valuable officers in this auspicious group. Many congrats to him.

Congrats also go to Admiral Beryl Washington of the USS Sovereign for winning the Starfleet Flag Officer of the Year award for 2009. This award also was presented at the 2010 IC in Oklahoma. Congrats to her as well.

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