R.I.P. 2008: The Final Frontier

Besides Arthur C. Clarke, one of Gene Roddenberry's inspirations in creating Star Trek, the Final Frontier lost other significant people in 2008. Majel Barrett Roddenberry (pictured here in three of her Star Trek roles; she appears on camera or as the voice of the Enterprise computer in every Star Trek series and feature, including the one yet to be released) was a major figure in creating Star Trek and especially keeping it alive. She was kind and generous to fans, and they loved her. Robert Justman (lower left) was Gene R's right hand man in creating the original Star Trek and the Next Generation. Joseph Pevney (center left) was an original series director, and composer Alexander Courage (top right) wrote the famous original series theme. Forrest J. Ackerman (top left) was famous in the sf subculture as a collector, a publisher and a fan over many years. Robert Jastrow (bottom center) was an astronomer and futurist with a cosmic perspective in time and space. Click collage to greatly enlarge. P.S. Neglected to include Ricardo Maltaban, who played Khan in the original series and Star Trek II.

R.I.P. 2008 (1)

Some of the 50s/60s Boomer heroes and elders we lost in 2008: the incomparable Paul Newman, country singer Eddy Arnold, actress Beverly Garland (the babe in seemingly every monster movie), artist Robert Rauchenberg, chess whiz Bobby Fischer, the unique Bo Diddley, and one of the voices of the boomer generation, George Carlin. click collage to enlarge.

R.I.P. 2008 (2)

More folks we lost in 2008 who boomers will remember: singer-songwriter John Stewart (Kingston Trio, etc.), Isaac Hayes, 60s designer Yves Sant Laurent, Arthur C. Clarke (who gave us 2001: A Space Odyssey), Suzanne Pleschette (a 60s starlet before her TV fame), folk singer Odetta, Charlton Heston, who did some pretty good work as well as his iconic kitch film roles. Click collage to enlarge.

R.I.P 2008 (3)

50s/60s people we lost include: dancer Cyd Charise (seen with Gene Kelley and alone); Harold Pinter, one of the 20th century's great playwrights who dominated the 60s; Mitch Mitchell, drummer for Jimi Hendrix; Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, with the Beatles; Dick Martin (r) on Laugh-In; writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, singer Eartha Kitt. Click collage to greatly enlarge.