VENTURA — The crew of the USS Wessex joined forces once again with the Community Outreach Center of Ventura and Island Living Apartments to help local students get ready to boldly go into the new school year!
With the help of our dedicated members and friends, we raised $300 — an increase from last year’s $200. These funds helped us purchase 18 new backpacks for kids from low-income families in Ventura, north of Los Angeles.
On July 14, our Commanding Officer, RADM Ronald Coleman, proudly presented the backpacks to Sherry French, Island Living manager. These backpacks are part of the Community Outreach Center of Ventura annual Back to School Drive, which aims to support over 500 kids by ensuring they start the year equipped and confident. The big giveaway event is scheduled for Aug. 2.
By partnering with the Community Outreach Center of Ventura and Island Living Arts, we’re not only helping. We’re investing in hope, creativity and brighter futures for our community’s youth.
A heartfelt thank you goes to every crew member and supporter who made this mission possible.
Together, we can help these kids boldly go into a successful school year!
From left are Island View Apartments Manager Sherry French, USS Wessex Commanding Officer Ronald Coleman and another person dropping off backpacks. The USS Wessex recently helped efforts to provide backpacks for low-income students in Ventura, north of Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy USS Wessex)
SAN DIEGO — If you’ve ever wished Comic-Con could last all year, here’s some good news!
Nestled in the heart of San Diego’s Balboa Park is the Comic-Con Museum, a place where your favorite stories, characters
and fandoms come to life every day.
The USS Wessex recently visited the museum on an away mission. While there, I interviewed Dr. Emily Schindler, senior director of learning and engagement for the museum, for our club’s podcast.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the world of comics, sci-fi, fantasy or animation, this museum has something for you.
Right now, visitors are raving about these exhibits:
• “Doctor Who: Worlds of Wonder”: Step inside the TARDIS and journey through time and space in this hands-on, science-meets-fiction adventure. It’s the exhibit’s first stop in the U.S., and it’s truly out of this world. The exhibit will remain at the museum through March 2026.
Created in conjunction with the BBC, the exhibit is the museum’s most expensive and ambitious project, Dr. Schindler told us during our podcast interview.
The exhibit features everything from a TARDIS console to the wardrobe worn by the incarnations of the Doctor and an area dedicated to — what else? — Daleks. The robotic villains have invaded the museum!
• “Becoming Betty Boop”: Celebrate 100 years of the original animated style icon. This charming exhibit is full of rare artwork and memorabilia, highlighting her impact on pop culture and animation.
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Comic-Con Museum theater is showing Betty Boop cartoons, Dr. Schindler said. “You can see what’s possible with characterizations with (Betty’s) floppy arms.”
• “POPnology”: If you’ve ever dreamed of hoverboards, virtual reality or friendly robots, this one’s for you. It explores how science fiction inspired real-life technology — and lets you play with it, too!
• “From Big Dots to the Digital Universe”: This is a colorful journey through the evolution of comic book coloring, from the days of Ben-Day dots to cutting-edge digital techniques.
• Legacy exhibits: Don’t miss the heartfelt tribute to Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, or the anime-themed installations celebrating Cowboy Bebop and My Hero Academia.
Dr. Schindler noted the museum, opened in November 2021 by San Diego Comic-Con, allows people, including those unable to attend the massive San Diego convention, to have the Comic-Con experience throughout the year.
“Essentially our mission at Comic Con is to celebrate the popular culture,” she told us.
“We always have big dreams,” Dr. Schindler said. “The fun part of my job is finding the dreams that we can do. There’s no shortage of inspiration here.”
Watch out! The Daleks have taken over the San Diego Comic-Con museum in Balboa Park in San Diego. The USS Wessex recently beamed down there on an away mission. (Photos by Ron Coleman/Region 4)
Jennifer Coleman and Richard Cortopposi of the USS Wessex beam down to the Comic Con Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park. The giant toucan is the mascot for San Diego Comic-Con.
A TARDIS model is part of the “Doctor Who” exhibit. Don’t let it fool you! It’s bigger on the inside.
A TARDIS console and the Doctors’ wardrobe grace an exhibit at the Comic-Con Museum.
Richard Cortopposi and Jennifer Coleman of the USS Wessex stand outside the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park in San Diego.
“Doctor Who” aliens visit the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego.
The Comic=Con Museum stands in the former Hall of Champions in Balboa Park in San Diego.
The Region 4 communications team recently redesigned the region4.org website, and new content started appearing Saturday, May 3, 2025. For the news from chapters throughout our region, please click on Region 4 News in the top bar. Stories will consist of republications of stories from chapters’ newsletters and websites from throughout the region, as well as original content exclusive to the Region 4 site. We’ll also have stories about “Star Trek” conventions, “Star Trek” programming news and other topics of broad interest to Region 4 of STARLFEET.
The goal is to publish at least one story a week.
The Region 4 website is operated by Commodore Dave Mason, the Region 4 chief of communications who’s overseeing stories and photos, and Capt. Christopher Mulrooney, the webmaster overseeing design, production and technology issues. Chris did the redesign work you see here.
Submissions of photos and stories are welcome anytime from commanding officers or their designated officers from every chapter in Region 4. To submit stories and photos, please email them to Dave at davemason1701@gmail.com. Photos should be high-resolution, 200 dpi in Photoshop, If you don’t have Photoshop or are unsure of the dpi, please set your camera or phone to its highest resolution. That likely will make photos big enough. And in your stories, please include a link to your chapter’s website. We want to promote your chapters and send readers to your websites.
To get the Region 4 website started, you’ll see content from the USS Angeles, Dave and Christopher’s chapter. But our hope is to have content from as many chapters as possible from every state in our region. The breadth and depth of content will determine this website’s success. Please share your stories and photos. Thank you.
In addition to news, you’ll see bios of the Region 4 Command Staff as well as a list of all of our region’s chapters and their websites.
Again, welcome to the new Region 4 website!
Melanie Scrofano, who plays Capt. Marie Batel on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” answers a question at Creation Entertainment’s Women in Sci Fi convention in March in Burbank, Calif. A story about the convention will appear this month on the new Region 4 website, region4,org. A different story about the event will appear in May on the USS Angeles website, ussangeles.org. (Photo by Dave Mason/USS Angeles/Angels Flight)
