Starbase Baltimore

(Thomas - 1st)

1980: May (?)

Hunt Valley Inn, Timonium, MD

GOH: George Takei


This was the first con that Thomas went to of his own volition (not that anyone had to twist his arm for the Boston Star Trek Convention). For this reason, and because it makes all the numbers come out nicely, we decided to count this as Thomas' official "first con." He was a month shy of being sixteen at the time.

This was the first, last, and only Starbase Baltimore. Thomas attended with his friend Will Burnham; they probably commuted to and from the con from Will's house. Thomas remembers that his con badge read "Richard Burnham" -- Will's father (or brother, they have the same name) had pre-registered for the con, but didn't come.

Thomas spent most of the weekend wearing one of Dave Roesler's Air Force flight suits -- he liked it so much, that he was inspired to make his own version of a flight suit. He was firmly in the grip of the Costuming Bug.

Thomas says that this is almost certainly the con where he met Danny Coggins, Lance Woods, Dave Keefer (collectively "The Boogie Knights"), and other luminaries of Baltimore media fandom.

He fondly remembers being one of about a dozen boys crowded into the sauna with George Takei.