Dif-tor Heh Smusma

It's impossible to know what my life would have been like without Leonard Nimoy.

Perhaps I'd have still been fascinated with science, space travel, and humanity's place in the Universe. After all, I was born at precisely the right time to be totally engrossed in the programs that led to mankind's "giant leap." Alan Sheppard was my first personal hero. Major Astro hosted my favorite childhood TV program. Roger Ramjet, Scott McCloud, and Space Ghost kept aerospace-related topics in front of my eyeballs throughout my formative years.

I also suspect that I was born with an innate affinity for math, science, and logic. Even without Mr. Nimoy, I may very well have ended up on the same path I have traveled. I may have had the same career, and many of the same interests.

But I would not be the same person. Mr. Spock changed my life.

I won't burden you with all the sad details, but I had already become a fan of the Enterprise's emotionless Vulcan officer when the most emotional event of my life occurred. My mom died of breast cancer on October 23, 1967...and I was devastated. I had no idea how to deal with this horrific loss. I loved her SO MUCH -- and suddenly, she was gone. As a child on the cusp of puberty, I was not equipped for this.

Mr. Spock became my role model. It seemed logical to conclude that the best way to deal with the situation was to eliminate emotions, and to get on with life sans feelings. My ears weren't pointed, and my blood wasn't green, but I did my best to adopt a Vulcan mindset.

Of course, a more mature viewer would've understood that Star Trek was full of counterexamples that proved the value of emotion. Human feelings are part of what makes life complete; they add flavor and color to our existence, and help us achieve our full worth.

It took me a long time to realize that those lessons were a part of what Spock brought to the Enterprise. But for many years, I tried my best to be impervious to the connections and commitments that grow out of having feelings. This attitude certainly contributed to my "shy" phase, and to my well-deserved reputation as a dateless nerd.

The Spock haircut I wore probably had something to do with it as well.

I'll try to find a photo of that haircut and include it in a future post. I think you'd be impressed. Anyway, much has been written in other places about my journey out of self-induced solitude and into my current level of moderate sociability...so I won't subject you to those stories here. (I still have books for sale, if you're truly interested.) But the bottom line is that what I learned from Mr. Spock (and Star Trek in general) provided me with a foundation upon which to build my life.

The quality and value that my life contributes to society is for other people to judge. But I am generally a happy person, and my happiness grows even greater whenever I think of my spacefaring friends within the United Federation of Planets.

The bottom line is that I shall be eternally grateful to Leonard Nimoy for bringing Mr. Spock to life. I also thank Gene Roddenberry, the rest of the cast, and a host of talented writers who each contributed to Mr. Spock's enduring legacy. But today, I primarily celebrate the life of the actor who portrayed him (and many other characters) throughout a long and distinguished career. Thanks for existing, Leonard!



I can't possibly improve on Kirk's "his was the most (sob) human!" speech, so I'll skip the eulogy and go right to the musical critique.

I bought the album shown at the top of this post in the mid 70s, and from day one it has been one of my most cherished possessions. For those of you who do NOT own a copy, the good news is that you can hear most of these songs on the Internet.

Was Nimoy a good singer? Well, let me put it this way: His talent approaches the musical heights achieved by the likes of Shatner and Takei. He's no Nichelle Nichols, but you can tell that he was influenced by Charles Napier at some point in his musical evolution.

Anyway, there's one bit of trivia I find interesting. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was on during roughly the same timeframe as Star Trek, so when I saw songwriter John Hartford on the SmoBros, I was struck by his resemblance to Leonard Nimoy. Then when I got the "2 Sides" album, I noticed that it contained "Gentle on My Mind," which was written by Hartford. Small Universe, eh, Mr. Roykirk?

So, with that in mind, I will leave you with one of my favorite John Hartford songs. It has nothing whatsoever to do with celebrating our favorite Vulcan's life, but perhaps the song's odd exuberance will bring a smile to our faces as we contemplate how much richer our lives are for having been blessed with the talents of Leonard Nimoy. LLAP and have a great day!