I joined STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc., way back in 1983 and have been a member ever since. (Heck, it wasn’t even an “Inc.” back then! STARFLEET incorporated in 1992 and became a 501(c)(7) non-profit shortly thereafter.) STARFLEET itself has been around since 1974 and has grown into the largest, continuously active Star Trek fan organization in the world with more than 5,300 members in 225+ chapters in more than 20 countries worldwide.
But this blog isn’t about STARFLEET itself. It’s about its new president, STEVEN PARMLEY.
Every three years, the STARFLEET membership holds an election to select its next Commander and Vice-Commander. The most recent election happened last fall, and Steven Parmley was the victor with 1,014 votes (51.7%) over Denise Rush with 946 votes (48.3%). Normally a cause for celebration, Steven didn’t feel much like celebrating. Around the same time, Steven and his family lost their home and all of their possessions in a fire…
We had a fire in 2019 when we had moved in to a new rental, but due to an electrical issue, the house had caught fire, and before we had insurance. I lost 20 years of STAR TREK Memorabilia and we lost furniture, clothes, etc. While we were able to replace the furniture and clothes, I have been unable to replace my collection. But as long as I have my daughters, then anything is possible.
Steven is a single dad of two beautiful girls: Natalie, 15 and Fiona, 8. He works as a deputy jailer in Western Kentucky. He also serves as an assistant chief of the local fire department and as a Lt. Cmdr. in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, responsible for 115 cadets and 37 instructors in his posting as the regional commander for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
I wasn’t aware of any of this until a few days ago. I simply reached out to the new Commander, STARFLEET shortly after he took office on January 1 to congratulate him and say “hi.” My own rank is Vice Admiral (the CS is a Fleet Admiral), and I’d served as Chief of Communications for the club back in 2008-2010. As Steven and I chatted, I discovered that he was a big fan of AXANAR and enjoyed reading my blog. I also learned about the fire. Steve had lost his entire collection of Star Trek memorabilia and didn’t have the money to replace anything.
I immediately went onto eBay and ordered these for Steven…
It seemed the least I could do for a fellow fan and STARFLEET member—let alone the new Fleet Admiral! But then I had an idea…
I pinged ALEC PETERS via Facebook. I asked him if he’d be willing to ship a set of Axanar patches to Steven to help him start up a new collection of Star Trek stuff. Not only was Alec totally on board with that idea, but he did me one better. This morning, I discovered this new blog up on the Axanar website.
Alec is reaching out to fans and Axanar supporters everywhere to see if they have some extra Star Trek knick-knacks lying around that they don’t want or need anymore. What a great idea! It’s not a typical crowd-funder, since no one is being asked for donations of money (other than postage). And let’s be honest: many of us have items collecting dust on our shelves that we don’t really want or need anymore. In fact, as soon as I read Alec’s blog, I immediately went to grab one of these TOS phasers off the shelf to send to Steven…
Alec himself is planning to assemble a box of swag for Steven and even invited the Fleet Admiral down to Lawrenceville (about six hours away) to attend the February Axanar shoot…and drive back with a car full of collectibles. Most folks aren’t aware, but Alec was a STARFLEET member back in the late 1980s, and he’s since rejoined. He’s even thinking of starting up a chapter for hard-core Axanar fans.
Anyway, this is another one of those “Let me help…” opportunities, and this time, it’ll even give you a chance to clear out some clutter while feeling good about yourself. If you’re thinking you might have something(s) Steven would appreciate, feel free to reach out to him via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/steven.parmley
If Steven is interested in the item(s) for his collection 2.0, he’ll give you his address…and of course, his thanks.
I realize that, with a large part of the continent of Australia burning, helping a single victim of a single fire might seem insignificant in comparison. But it won’t be insignificant to Steven and his girls. They don’t have much, and you can make a big difference for them.
Thank you.