I’ve been writing things down for most of my life — not because anyone asked me to, but because some experiences are too good not to put on paper, and some subjects are too useful not to explain properly. What you’ll find here is a mix of personal narrative, classroom teaching material, and technical reference writing. None of it was written on assignment. All of it was written because I cared about the subject.
Stories & Remembrances
The Day Ray Trygstad and I Met Gene Roddenberry
In the spring of 1976, my dear friend Raymond Trygstad and I were Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. Ray was a Second Classman (Junior) in the Class of 1977, and I was a Third Classman (Sophomore) in the Class of 1978. In addition to the minor details of spending four years training to become Professional Naval Officers, both of us were staff members of The Log, a (…then somewhat unbridled…) humor magazine published by, and for the amusement of, the Brigade of Midshipmen. Ray was The Log‘s Art Editor, and I was a Co-Photo Editor.
(The Log has been around since 1913, although there were something like 8 years in the early to mid 2000’s when it disappeared, then was resurrected…but I digress….)
Both of us were also members of the USNA Men’s Glee Club and traveled once or twice a year when the club went on tour. And lastly (for the purpose of this setup), both of us were also (…and are to this day…!) inveterate Star Trek fans.
In April, the Glee Club toured Los Angeles. On the plane on the way, Ray said to me, “Hey, did you know there’s a Star Trek convention in L. A. this weekend? And guess what—we have a day off from singing on Saturday!” The decision was made. Bright and early on April 13, 1976, dressed in our liberty whites, we presented ourselves at the Equicon ’76 registration table as journalists from the Naval Academy (which we were!), obtained press credentials, and had a more-than-memorable time. The absolute high point, though, was the impromptu interview we scored with Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek’s storied and beloved creator. Ray wrote up the interview, and we published it with my photos in The Log. (This link will download a PDF scan of the pertinent pages from the June, 1976 issue of The Log, Vol. 65, No. 10.)
The photographs below are from the convention and interview, and are as fond a set of memories as I carry from my time at the Academy. You can clearly identify Ray and me. We’re the only ones at the convention in all-white attire. Ray’s shoulder boards have two diagonal stripes; mine have one. I shot all photos with Ray or neither of us in them. Photos with me in them were Ray’s work with my camera. The camera was a Canon FTb I’d had since high school (…still have it…somewhere…). The film was Kodak Tri-X that I developed and printed at the time. Recently, while cleaning out a storage room, I came across the 35mm negatives and several prints (oh joy of joys!). I digitized the negatives directly to positive images with a PlusTek model OpticFilm 7600i Ai film scanner using SilverFast® Ai v6.6.2r5 software for Windows. I also did a wee bit of cleaning up scratches and such in Photoshop CS5.5.
So…after more than four decades, here they are again in a format better suited to the internet age. It is my sincere hope (and I’m certain it’s Ray’s) that you thoroughly enjoy these images. Bon appetit!
— James D. Gafford, San Francisco, California, June 8, 2019
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- The Gene Roddenberry Interview — PDF scan of selected pages from The Log, Vol. 65, No. 10, June 1, 1976
Gratitude
First and foremost, to Ray Trygstad, IT professor and guru, bagpiper, tenor, preacher, and my ever-friend and co-conspirator on our galactic voyage (and not to mention…author of the earliest version of my website). Ray’s ping to his colleagues at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s School of Applied Technology / Information Technology and Management led me to Lighbox.
An earlier version of this photo gallery was made possible by Slimbox 2, a set of CSS and JavaScript files copyright ©2018 by Christophe Beyls. The latest version of Slimbox 2 (2.05) is hosted and available for download at GitHub. If you enjoy playing with website source code, you’ll love this!
Christophe’s work is based in turn on the original and ever-popular Lightbox2 CSS / JavaScript system created (and copyright ©2015) by Lokesh Dhakar. (Lightbox2 can be downloaded from Lokesh’s Lightbox2 site.)
Both systems are licensed under the MIT License.
© Copyright Notice
All black-and-white thumbnail and full-size images in this gallery are copyright ©1976 (for original Tri-X film images) and ©2019 (for digitized images) by James D. Gafford. All rights are reserved into perpetuity. These images may be used by anyone in any fashion they deem appropriate, provided that 1) no alteration is made to any image other than adjustments to size, resolution, cropping, and/or image clarity necessitated by a particular display or publishing need, and 2) that this copyright notice is included unaltered in its entirety. Raymond E(dward) Trygstad (originally of Vista, California, now of Naperville, Illinois) and his assigns/heirs are explicitly excluded from all restrictions herein, and may do with any and all of these images as he and/or they may please.
Dale Alan Kessler — A Remembrance
For those who knew him, Dale Alan Kessler (7th Grade World History teacher at General Anthony Wayne Junior High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania) was arguably the most memorable teacher they ever had. Click here to download an Adobe Acrobat (PDF)-format file (36,864 bytes) containing a story I wrote in 1999 about my memories of Mr. Kessler, and the last time I saw him.
Teaching Materials
How to Get the Most Out of Your Internet Dating Experience
The latest (read: final) version of the PowerPoint slide show I used to teach my class, “How to Get the Most Out of Your Internet Dating Experience.” The class was first offered through the Tamalpais Union School District Adult and Community Education Department in November 2003 and January 2004. This version of the presentation was created for the class originally scheduled on March 1st and 8th, 2006.
Disclaimer: Please note that as of March 2006, I no longer participate in any online dating forums, inasmuch as I finally realized they were not working for me. Still (if I do say so myself), this is a pretty good presentation. Your mileage may (and most probably will) vary.
Second Disclaimer: As of June 2022, I am back in the dating “market,” and I am subscribed to more than one online dating service. Not much has changed fundamentally since my decade-and-a-half-ago participation, other than that online dating has become the de facto exclusive way to meet other singles. And I have to say that, overall, this is assuredly not a good thing (…I have a long discussion in mind about this, yet to come…).
- How to Get the Most Out of Your Internet Dating Experience (PDF, ~2.2 MB)
Have a question about something on this page? I’m reachable at (415) 472-1776 or (415) 328-5644.