TIMELINE: History of The Guardians Of Gallifrey - Page One: 1986 to 1996
Welcome to TIMELINE!
This perpetual Work In Progress is a humble summary of some of the past, present, and ongoing history of our club, THE GUARDIANS OF GALLIFREY, as documented in our monthly newsletter, THE GALLIFREY GUARDIAN and our collection of Yearbooks.
[If perchance you are interested in subscribing to the GUARDIAN and/or purchasing one of our yearbooks (In particular our SPECIAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY 1996 YEARBOOK), I direct you to our Membership and Merchandise Flyer]
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THE BEGINING
The Guardians began when Diane Mikkelsen (recently relocated from England) and her friend Cathi Krstulich, who lived close enough to WEDU to pick up Doctor Who, saw a sign in Enterprise 1701 (now Sci-Fi City) from Greg Cohen, who was interested in forming a local Doctor Who group. They called him immediately and later met at the UNIT Reunion in Tampa. The three founders posted another sign on the same bulletin board and waited to hear from prospective members. In a few months they had enough names to call a meeting, which was held at Greg’s home on June 14, 1986. After that monthly meetings were held, with a growing membership. A big boost was the Guardians’ first appearance on WMFE-TV, which led to their staffing of the BBC Doctor Who Bus tour with Jon Pertwee at Mercado, February 21, 1987...
...
1986:
*June 14 = First meeting
*October 28 = accepted into the Doctor Who Fan Club of America
1987:
*February 8 = Bus Tour in Tampa with Peter Davison
*February 21 & 22 = Bus Tour in Orlando with Jon Pertwee
*March 8 = The first pledge drive staffed by the Guardians at WMFE-TV/Channel 24
*March 27-29 = Several Guardians attend Magnum Opus Con-2 in Columbus Georgia (sadly, this was the convention at which Patrick Troughton passed away)
*May = car wash to raise money for the club
*July = the first Gallifrey Guardian (newsletter) published
*August 8 = A Patrick Troughton tribute, by the Guardians, was shown on Channel 24
*September 19 = Membership drive held at Intergalactic Comics & Collectibles
*December 5 = Guardians raised over $300.00 for the Leukemia Society with a Jello Jump
1988:
*February 5-7 = Several Guardians attend Omnicon VIII in fort Lauderdale and meet John Nathan-Turner, Nicola Bryant and Gary Downie
*March 25-27 = Guardians attends MOC-3 in Georgia and record an exclusive interview with Colin Baker and Anthony Ainley
*April 23 = picnic meeting at Jay Blanchard Park
*June 11= anniversary party at Don’s house
*June 24 = The club loans the TARDIS (built by Thomas Hirsch) to the Orlando Science Center for the Science Fiction ’88 exhibit, and appear in costume for the preview
*July = first annual Short Story contest announced
August meeting = (first?) pool party, at James Sunshine’s home; Guardians staff phones for 24’s pledge drive and donate 17-foot scarf as pledge incentive
*December 10 = Christmas party (with gift exchange) at Don Ducharme’s home
1989:
*March 4 & 11 = Guardians staff phones for pledge drive
*March 17-19 = Over 30 Guardians attend MOC IV in South Carolina, with the club’s TARDIS, winning Masquerade entries, Yearbook ’88 sales, and a visit from Sylvester McCoy in the club suite
*April 29 = WalkAmerica, where the Guardians raise $767.50 for the March of Dimes
*May 19-21 = OASIS II convention in Orlando attended by Guardians
*August 1, and December 2 & 16 = more pledge drives!
*October = member Paul Condon visits from England
*December 9 = Christmas party at James’ house
1990:
*January = Yearbook ’89 published
*February 10 meeting = first ever Guardian Theatre
*March 3 & 10 = Pledge drives at 24
*March 23-25 = MOC 5 in Greenville, SC where 15 GoG members (and the TARDIS) traveled to see Terry Nation. Our group won 2nd place in the Lip Sync contest.
*April 28 = Raised $966.60 for March of Dimes at WalkAmerica
*June 1= Cathy Krstulich and Tom Kosak (with Alpha Centauri!) appear on The Collector, a local TV show
*June 9 = 4th anniversary pool party at James’ house
*August = Hey, Doctor, Who’s in the Kitchen? cookbook published
*August 18 = pledge drive at 24
*August 25 & 26 = GoG hosts the Science Fiction/Fantasy Art Exhibition at Enterprise 1701
*November 10 = GoG marches in the Queen Kumquat Sashay
*December 8 = pledge drive at 24
*December 15 = Holiday party with games, prizes, skits, food, a cabaret, and pinata
1991:
*February 23 = Guardians staff a table at Enterprise 1701 for Science fiction Club Day
*March 16 = pledge drive at 24
*March 22-24 = Club camp-out at Fort Wilderness, Walt Disney World
*March 27-29 = Several guardians attend MOC 6 with the TARDIS
*April 27 = WalkAmerica
*May 11 = picnic at Jay Blanchard Park
*June 8 = 5th Anniversary pool party at James’ house
*July 13 = Guardians choose a plot for their first fan video (which became “the New Order”)
*August 17 = pledge drive at 24
*September = Guardians of Gallifrey are mentioned in Doctor Who Magazine #178(also #150 and #171)
*September 14 = auditions for “The New Order”
*October 25 = Guardians of Gallifrey are mentioned in Doctor Who Magazine #182 for their fan video “The New Order”
*November 8 = shooting begins on “the New Order” (runs thru March ’92)
*November 9 = 20 Guardians march in the Queen Kumquat Sashay
*November 29 to December 1 = 5 Guardians attend Visions ‘91
*December 14 = pledge drive at 24
*December 21 = Holiday party at Parkview Point Apartments (with Gift Exchange, Pinata, Trivia contest as Game show, and Cabaret)
1992:
*February 15 = Guardians are present for Sci-Fi Club Day at Enterprise 1701
*March 2 = The New Order filming wraps!
*March 26 – 29 = Several Guardians attend MOC VII
*April 11 = picnic at Jay Blanchard Park
*April 25 = 8 Guardians raise $510.00 for WalkAmerica
*May 2 = Cast party for The New Order held at Julia’s house (complete with ceremonial burning of the ship)
*May 9 = pledge drive at Channel 24
*May 16 = at the annual OASIS convention, Guardians participate in a club panel and the Masquerade (Nyssa is a winner!)
*June 13 = pool party at Denise Resko’s house
*August 15 and 22 = pledge drive at 24
*September 4 = Davros makes the front page of the Orlando Sentinel, on behalf of the Sci-fi Channel
*September 4-6 = Magicon, the 50th Worldcon, is held in Orlando; GoG flyers & Charles Martin are present
*November 27 - 29 = Visions is attended by Don
*November 14 = Kumquat Sashay with KLAW and the “We Want Sci-Fi” banner
*December 19 = Holiday party at Dickinson Memorial Library w/Who’s Line finals, Family Feud, Radio play, Whosical Chairs, Cabaret, pinata, announcement that THE VIDEO IS DONE!, etc.
1993:
*January 9 = first showing of the Guardians’ fanvideo “The New Order”
*February 13 = new constitution is signed
*March 6 & 27 = pledge drive at 24
*March 27 = Guardians are busy at Altamonte Bookstop’s SF Day
*April 10 = picnic at Downey Park
*April 24 = Guardians participate in WalkAmerica
*May 14-16 = “The New Order” is shown at OASIS VI, and Guardians dominate the Masquerade awards!
*June 12 = anniversary pool party, with auction, at Ed Mitchell’s apartment complex
*August 7 = booksale at meeting, followed by a pledge drive at 24
*August 14 = Guardians staff phones for the Gainesville PBS station and raise $5,575 for Channel 5!
*August 27 – 29 = “The New Order” is shown at Omegacon (twice!); Guardians have a table and enter Masquerade
*September 11 = the official ‘general public’ premier of “The New Order” at Old Lake Mary City Hall, immediately followed by the first-ever GoG Awards, then party, party, party!
*October 9 = behind-the-scenes narration with video of Peter Davison by member Christine Toups (visiting from Mississippi), followed by a costume contest
*October 15 - 17 = Arthur attends Necronomicon (as the Master in the Masquerade); “The New Order” is shown
*November 13 = Kumquat Sashay
*November 26 - 28 = Charles and Julia show“The New Order” at Visions,and copies sell like hotcakes!
*December 11 = Wholiday party at Old Lake Mary City Hall, with games, music, costumes, food, dancing, elections, cabaret, pinata, etc.
Also in ’93, mentions of “The New Order” appeared in articles in the Sanford Herald and the Orlando Spectator...
1994:
*...-AAAND- the Friends of Doctor Who newsletter in ’94. Later that year in FODW, our exploits at WXEL (and our ability to keep DW on 3 Florida stations simultaneously) appeared.
*March 5 = pledge drive at 24
*March 12-13 = pledge drive for Gainesville PBS
*March 19 = Sci-Fi Day at Barnes and Noble
*April 9 = First Guardian viewing of a certain 3D special? (shhhh!!!!)
*April 23 = WalkAmerica
*May 13-15 = At OASIS VII, Guardians run/emcee/appear in the first ever OASIS Follies (caught on film by TV42); host a Guardian video/party room; and Romana II takes 3rd place in the Masquerade.
*June 11 = anniversary pool party at Ed Mitchell’s apartment clubhouse
*July 9 = booksale at meeting
*July 30 = Guardians help out TV 42 in West Palm Beach at their DW mini-convention/pledge drive with John Levene, providing co-host, costumes and props, Guardian dealer’s table, filksingers, and money!
*September 24 = roadtrip to Daytona Beach for a meeting at Graziano’s Pizza on the boardwalk, followed by a visit to Media Play
*November 12 = auction meeting, followed by pledge drive in Tampa for Channel 16 WUSF
*November 19 = Kumquat Sashay
*December 10 = Holiday Party at Old Lake Mary City Hall (see previous HP entries!)
-Also in ’94 we received compliments on the Gallifrey Guardian from John Levene and Anthony Ainley!-
1995:
*February 24-26 = Lord President Charles Martin attends Gallifrey convention in California; where he “heard very glowing comments on our newsletter, our club, our video and our fundraising work from celebrities and fans alike.”
*March = newsletter announcement that Herby and Julia are making another Doctor Who fanvideo, and request actors and help from the Guardians (this becomes “Double Jeopardy”).
*April 9 = Guardian picnic at Secret Lake Park
*April 29 = WalkAmerica, in Seminole County this year
*May 13 = third club booksale
*May 19-21 = Guardians attend OASIS, participating in the fan cabaret and masquerade (Betti, the baby Yeti, won a prize). Guardians’ flyers (including crossword puzzles and art trivia contest) go quickly.
*June 10 = Pool party at Ed’s apartment complex
*July 30 – August 8 = Charles, the Guardians, and WXEL bring SOPHIE ALDRED to Central Florida!
*September 30 = Tampa Guardian meeting at Interzone (this became the Suncoast Tampa Time Council)
*October 14 = costume contest at general meeting
*November = the 100th Gallifrey Guardian is issued!
*December 10 = Holiday Party at Reflections Apartments clubhouse, with songs, games, cabaret, trivia contest, music, food, etc.
-Also in ’95: The Guardians were congratulated on reaching their 9th anniversary in the FODW newsletter. Promo tape “Best of the Guardians” is made. Mark Dooley, the ‘Doctor Whoek and Stimpy Ace’ creator from The Whoosier Network, visits. Guardians (with flyers) appear at TachyCon, I’Con, Necronomicon, and Visions. On several weekends throughout ’95, various Guardians attend pledge drives in Tampa, Gainesville, and West Palm Beach.-
1996:
*February = Guardians help out at Tampa pledge drive
*February 16-18 = Guardians Chas, Heather, and Dan (Harris) attend the Gallifrey convention
*March thru year’s end = Julia and Herby shoot scenes for “Double Jeopardy;” most of the Guardians are featured.
*April newsletter includes transcript of Philip Segal’s on-line chat re: the telemovie, and panelists’ account of Segal’s movie forum at Gallifrey One.
*April 13 = Guardians again visit Tampa’s WUSF for a pledge drive with Sylvester McCoy! We not only staff the phones, but supply the TARDIS, Alpha Centauri, and on-air talent.
*April = Guardian Chet Hart adds a GoG site to his private home pages, giving us a presence on the World Wide Web for the first time. We receive over 1,000 hits the first month!
*May 31 = The DW telemovie is screened at OASIS. Guardians were also involved in a panel on Doctor Who, and appeared in more “Double Jeopardy” scenes.
*June newsletter sports a special color cover to celebrate the Guardians’ tenth anniversary.
*June 8 = Pool party hosted by Pat Campbell at Reflections Apartments.
*August 10 = Auction/Booksale meeting and view DW telemovie (promo copy, not copied TV!)
*September 14 = Picnic at Lake Downey Park
*October = Guardian member Kosta Grame, aged 13, has his Doctor Who radio play performed at The Depot in Tarpon Springs.
*October 11-13 = Necronomicon attended by several Guardians; DW in the video room.
*November = Tropicon attended by several Guardians
*October 19 = Costume contest (with prizes) held at meeting
*December 14 = Holiday party at Cricket’s Pub
...
OTHER events/trends/etc in the First 10...
-The first meetings were held at Greg’s house, then Diane’s, but soon moved to the clubhouse at Versailles at Sabal Point.
-Elections were held in December, and dues were originally set at $1 per meeting.
-Business meetings were originally held on a separate weekend from the general meeting (and usually at a different location), but in September of 1995, the Council moved the business meeting to the hour just prior to the general meeting, to encourage more member participation.
-In January of 1987 the club began meeting at the clubhouse at Green Tree Apartments and chose the official club logo (the councilor symbol). The March 1987 meeting was the first Guardian picnic, held at Jay Blanchard Park, where the original bylaws were voted on. For April and May, the meetings were so large (from Bus Tour members) they were held at the Iron Workers Union Hall. Most meetings shortly afterward were held at New York New York Pizza, with occasionally meetings at members’ homes, the Bull and Bush Pub, or as picnics in the park.
-When the Club checking account was opened in March of ’88, dues were set at 6 or 12-month installments. New bylaws were drafted in May, and the original Club constitution was voted on in July, at the UCF Commons. Many meetings that year were held in various members’ homes, but in September we used the Excalibur Apartments clubhouse, courtesy of OASFS, and in October began meeting at Johnny’s Pizzaria.
-Early in 1989, we got our post office box and IRS status, and began working on club T-shirts, our first yearbook (for ’88) and a calendar for 1989.
-For most of 1990, meetings were still held at Johnny’s Pizzaria. In ’91, a couple of meetings were held at Enterprise 1701, then we moved to the Boy Scout Service Center, with occasional specialty meetings outdoors or at members’ homes. In ’92, the Club started out at Barone’s Italian restaurant, then Enterprise 1701, followed by the Fashion Square Community Room.
-We remained at Fashion Square for the first half of ‘93, then moved to Hubb’s Pub for most meetings. During football season of ‘94-’95, we met at various locations including Pizza Supreme, then back to Hubb’s Pub, and on into 1996. Slight break from Hubb’s in May (due to sports), when we met at St. Andrews Tavern, in June for the pool party, and in September for our picnic...
Keep checking back for more pages as they are unveiled. More of GOG's history to be documented. In TIME...
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