Group treks through stars in Tardis
- Publication: Daily Kent Stater
- Date: 1988-10-18
- Author: Elizabeth McGuire
- Page: 8
- Language: English
Sci-fi club capturing student imaginations
They are normal — really, they are.
But it's the little things that set them apart from a group of friends who just get together to gab. A Star Trek pin adorns a jean jacket lapel, a Dr. Who scarf wraps around a tree outside, a set of razor-like Freddy Krueger fingers decorate someone's right hand and a miniature metal dagger hangs from one girl's neck.
"Most of us are basically normal," stresses Kara Ray, secretary of the Kent Science Fiction and Fantasy Club.
It's just a mutual interest in science fiction that brought them together.
Originally formed for "Doctor Who" fans (or Whovians, admirers of the long-running T.V. show), the club soon expanded to include all science fiction and fantasy, with a dash of horror, explained Julie Fitch, vice president of the club.
"Why keep it at just "Doctor Who" when we are all interested in other things?" she said.
Club members have a wide variety of interests, including Doctor Who, Star Trek, comic books, movies, horror, T.V. shows and books.
"You don't have to like everything," Fitch said, adding that different opinions make for more lively discussions.
The group, which has about 35 members, has gone through a number of name changes.
The club originally was the "Tardis at the End of the Universe," but you had to be a Whovian and a Douglas Adams fan to know what it meant.
So the group changed it to "Who us" — but people didn't understand that either, club president Lydia Gamble said.
Gamble said the members finally ended up with the Kent Science Fiction and Fantasy Club because it was straight forward and to the point.
The club was formed in 1985 by Heather Williamson, now a KSU alumna and Gamble, who completed her master's in Spanish and is working on another in library science. It meets monthly, sometimes at Ray's home in Tallmadge, sometimes on campus.
"In the first year we didn't get much done," Gamble said. The club is more established now and have put out three "fanzines" (fan magazines) with the fourth being published in early November.
"Celestial Toybox" is the name of the club's "fanzine." It includes stories and art work of the club's members and is sold through the mail and at science fiction conventions.
Not all of the club members are artists or writers, and they are not all connected with KSU. Those who are artists create their own characters, sometimes borrowing characters from television, movies and books to create the stories and illustrations for "Celestial Toybox," Ray said.
The club is a non-profit organization. Ali money goes toward production of the "Celestial Toybox" and pays for members to attend conventions. The club's latest venture was the Superman Expo in Cleveland last June.
Anyone interested in the Kent Science Fiction and Fantasy Club may call Lydia Gamble at 678-3322 or Kara Ray at 633-5467.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: McGuire, Elizabeth (1988-10-18). Group treks through stars in Tardis. Daily Kent Stater p. 8.
- MLA 7th ed.: McGuire, Elizabeth. "Group treks through stars in Tardis." Daily Kent Stater [add city] 1988-10-18, 8. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: McGuire, Elizabeth. "Group treks through stars in Tardis." Daily Kent Stater, edition, sec., 1988-10-18
- Turabian: McGuire, Elizabeth. "Group treks through stars in Tardis." Daily Kent Stater, 1988-10-18, section, 8 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Group treks through stars in Tardis | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Group_treks_through_stars_in_Tardis | work=Daily Kent Stater | pages=8 | date=1988-10-18 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Group treks through stars in Tardis | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Group_treks_through_stars_in_Tardis | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 April 2025}}</ref>
