This blog entry is dedicated to Darla Redifer,
without whose inspiration (read: "kick in the rear")
this blog would never have been possible!
-- the Editors
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, an artist named Kate and a writer named Carmen came together, thanks to a television program named, "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
They were inspired to found the International Audience Alliance for Patrick Stewart (otherwise known as IAAPS), which later became the Patrick Stewart Network (also known as PSN).
Kate's art wasn't limited to Star Trek. She had other favorite subjects, only one of which was Kate's and Carmen's beloved Scotty dogs. Carmen and Kate had many loyal minions, one of whom was Deb Galeone, who, early on, helped with the fan club, and then became "The Hub" for PSN and continued all of Kate's and Carmen's devoted work to help fans of Patrick Stewart gain a fuller appreciation for his dramatic talents and career. The minions, which included Kathy and her Assistant Minion, David, trekked to Carmen's and Kate's house in West Virginia periodically over the years to help with fan club mailings and organization. Occasionally, there were opportunities for cameraderie and patriotic celebration:
Sadly, Deb passed away in 2017, and none of us will forget her good heart, her generosity, and her hard work in helping all of her friends seek out new life wherever it might take them.
During Deb's help with the fan clubs, another of her interests was to collect related art, and she purchased one of Kate's paintings titled, "Kermse," a life portrait of one of Carmen's and Kate's Scotty dogs.
After Deb died, her family wanted to return the painting to its original artist. They asked us if we could help. Carmen and Kate were very appreciative, but insisted on buying it back from the estate. One difficulty was that Deb's family lives in the Philadelphia area, while Kate and Carmen live in West Virginia. As luck had it, we were visiting Philadelphia on our RV travels and heard about Kermse. We offered to deliver it to the ladies and had the pleasure of joining them for lunch and a long afternoon's reminiscence about Deb, IAAPS, PSN and the Scotty dogs.
Of course, the first order of business was the presentation of Kermse:
As it turned out, Deb had also been accumulating a variety of Scotty collectibles to give to the ladies as gifts from time to time. After learning how close Deb was to Kate and Carmen, Deb's family gathered these collectibles together and offered to let us take them to their intended beneficiaries. You can't imagine how much they are appreciated:
But, of course, Carmen and Kate are our friends as well as fan club associates. They have rescued some dogs and cats, including Josie (L, below) and Sally (R, below), who show that they are willing (nay, eager!) to accept offerings of treats from Carmen and Kathy:
One of their cats couldn't resist seeing what all the fuss was about, and eagerly (?) posed with Carmen:
-- and Kate (note Sally's standing by to scoop up any treats that might, possibly, fall to the floor if it chances that the cat gets one) (pay no attention to the Kate behind the cat):
After several uproarious hours reminiscing and solving all the problems of the world, we reluctantly bade farewell to our dear friends, with the assurance that we'll have another chance to get together in a year or two when we pass through West Virginia.
They were inspired to found the International Audience Alliance for Patrick Stewart (otherwise known as IAAPS), which later became the Patrick Stewart Network (also known as PSN).
Kate's art wasn't limited to Star Trek. She had other favorite subjects, only one of which was Kate's and Carmen's beloved Scotty dogs. Carmen and Kate had many loyal minions, one of whom was Deb Galeone, who, early on, helped with the fan club, and then became "The Hub" for PSN and continued all of Kate's and Carmen's devoted work to help fans of Patrick Stewart gain a fuller appreciation for his dramatic talents and career. The minions, which included Kathy and her Assistant Minion, David, trekked to Carmen's and Kate's house in West Virginia periodically over the years to help with fan club mailings and organization. Occasionally, there were opportunities for cameraderie and patriotic celebration:
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| L-R: Carmen, Kate, Deb and Kathy in some notorious July 4 shenanigans |
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| Deb Galeone (1954-2017) |
After Deb died, her family wanted to return the painting to its original artist. They asked us if we could help. Carmen and Kate were very appreciative, but insisted on buying it back from the estate. One difficulty was that Deb's family lives in the Philadelphia area, while Kate and Carmen live in West Virginia. As luck had it, we were visiting Philadelphia on our RV travels and heard about Kermse. We offered to deliver it to the ladies and had the pleasure of joining them for lunch and a long afternoon's reminiscence about Deb, IAAPS, PSN and the Scotty dogs.
Of course, the first order of business was the presentation of Kermse:
As it turned out, Deb had also been accumulating a variety of Scotty collectibles to give to the ladies as gifts from time to time. After learning how close Deb was to Kate and Carmen, Deb's family gathered these collectibles together and offered to let us take them to their intended beneficiaries. You can't imagine how much they are appreciated:
But, of course, Carmen and Kate are our friends as well as fan club associates. They have rescued some dogs and cats, including Josie (L, below) and Sally (R, below), who show that they are willing (nay, eager!) to accept offerings of treats from Carmen and Kathy:
One of their cats couldn't resist seeing what all the fuss was about, and eagerly (?) posed with Carmen:
-- and Kate (note Sally's standing by to scoop up any treats that might, possibly, fall to the floor if it chances that the cat gets one) (pay no attention to the Kate behind the cat):
After several uproarious hours reminiscing and solving all the problems of the world, we reluctantly bade farewell to our dear friends, with the assurance that we'll have another chance to get together in a year or two when we pass through West Virginia.
I approve!
ReplyDeleteHow very kind and thoughtful of you both....but then again, you are both lovely people. Bobbie
ReplyDelete