WHAT IS STAT? The STAT Club of Maryland, Inc. was formed in 2021 as a replacement for the original corporation, the Star Trek Association of Towson, Inc. This is where the acronym STAT comes from.
HISTORY: STAT was founded in 1978 by approximately ten people who shared a common interest in Star Trek. A year later, they held their first Shore Leave Convention, which attracted even more Star Trek enthusiasts to the group, causing the club to grow.
As time went on, the interests of the club expanded not only to include the promotion of Star Trek, but also of other areas of science fiction and science fact. At the end 2023, STAT had 63 year-round Full and Associate members, residing primarily in the Baltimore-Washington DC corridor, but also in other areas of the East Coast ranging from Connecticut to Florida.
Past club activities have included costumed visits to local hospital pediatric units, visits to local libraries and schools to promote literacy, and participation in the Towson Fourth of July Parade. The major activity was holding the annual Shore Leave Convention each year. The convention is now called The Annual Membership Meeting/Shore Leave. Every one who purchases a Shore Leave membership automatically becomes a member of the STAT Club of Maryland for Shore Leave weekend only and is encouraged to attend the Annual Membership Meeting that is held during that weekend.
The organization’s charitable projects include an annual Blood Drive for the Red Cross, Food Drives for the Central Pennsylvania and Maryland Food Banks, and others. STAT Club itself has become an example of IDIC in action — Infinitely Diverse people Infinitely Combined by their love of Star Trek, science, and science fiction.
Our membership is composed of many individuals practicing varied professions and careers, including, among others, school teachers, social and political scientists, astronomers, biologists, chemists, ecologists, psychologists, nurses, paramedics, public safety and law enforcement representatives, computer experts, writers, artists, secretaries, and clerical personnel, and representatives of business and management as well as students and retirees. The individual STAT Club members participating in our charitable projects and Annual Membership Meeting/Shore Leave Convention serve as all-volunteer staff; no individual STAT Club member receives any financial compensation from any STAT Club/Annual Membership Meeting/Shore Leave activity.
In 2021, the club reorganized as a new Maryland corporation. This allowed the club to include more members as a social organization instead of a business. The members always felt more like a family than a company.
The 2024 Board of Directors members are: Debbie Priester (Club President), Ken McIntosh (Club Vice President), Debbie DeCaro (Club Secretary), Melissa James (Club Treasurer), Tom Donnelly (Board Chair), Marilyn Mann, Chris Schildt, William Becker and Denise Masters.