Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986)

The unrivaled champion of Space Art grew up in San Francisco, and his earliest space paintings, inspired by a visit to Lick Observatory, were destroyed in the fires set by the massive earthquake of 1906, (Yeah, he's that old). Bored with his family's paper business, he studied architecture at Columbia University, which led him to contributions to the design of many great structures, including the Golden Gate Bridge. Later he moved to England, where his interest in space art was rekindled while working for the Illustrated London News. The 1930's found Bonestell back in California doing matte paintings for Hollywood studios, including work on Citizen Kane.

In 1944, Life Magazine paid $30, 000 for a suite of his paintings and when they were published, the eyes of an entire nation were suddenly introduced to the wonders of space. He continued to lay out his prophetic vision of man's potential for expeditions into space in various magazines, and in 1949, published a book: The Conquest Of Space. It was a collection of 58 paintings with text by rocket pioneer Willy Ley. The book was a huge success and got glowing reviews from artists and astronomers alike. Bonestell was now highly sought for his unique skills, and came into the employ of film producer George Pal. He provided Pal with special effects support on Destination Moon, When Worlds Collide, War Of The Worlds, and Conquest Of Space. Destination Moon was wildly successful and lit the fuse of the 1950's science fiction boom.

Bonestell himself was no fan of sci-fi, and felt it detrcted from the seriousness of the scientific possibilities his work endeavored to present. But, it paid well. "I love money, too.", he once quipped. He was afforded more fact-based projects when he agreed to collaborate with other artists and scientists, including Werner Von Braun, on a documentary series about space exploration, which ran in Collier's magazine from 1952 to 1954. Thus, Bonestell's tireless attention to accuracy brought him recognition as the top authority in the visual interpretation of what the future held. His crowning achievement was likely the 40 foot mural he painted of the lunar surface, which now resides at the Natioanal Air and Space Museum. As the most sought after in his field, his art can be found in all manner of publications and retail products from the 50's to the late 1960's, when space flight became a reality. Bonestell died in 1986, leaving behind a prophetic and prolific career which continues to inspire us today.

 Irwin Allen (1916-1991)

Irwin Allen studied jounalism at Columbia University and began his career in media as an editor for Key Magazine at the age of 22. He soon found his way into radio, and success with such brought an offer to write a syndicated newspaper column, which later became a television show, also called "Hollywood Merry-Go-Round". Such industry contact led him to film production in the early '50's, and Allen did several projects for RKO, including work on Marx Brothers comedies. His film "The Sea Around Us" won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 1952. He had a number of box office successes throughout the '50's, and in 1960 began work with 20th Century Fox on Conan-Doyle's "The Lost World". The next year saw the production of "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea", which really opened the door to the work for which Allen is most remembered.

A few short years later, Allen returned to television with a TV version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea which ran for four seasons. During that time, he created the much beloved "Lost In Space", pehaps his most famous work, which is a subject one might easily research for days, as it has become its own modern cult phenomenon. Additional handywork produced "Time Tunnel" and "Land of the Giants", which further embedded Allen as a master of Sci-Fi, as did his film version of Asimov's "Fantastic Voyage".

During the 1970's, Allen returned to the silver screen, and became known as the master of disater with films such as The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, and Earthquake(in: "sense-around", an audio experiment tha shook seats). There was a Poseideon sequel, and a few more efforts were put forth before Allen's health began to make retirement considerations a necessary move. Though he passed away due to heart problems in 1991, his legacy is one that will not soon be forgotten.

 Vincent Di Fate

Hugo Award winner Vincent Di Fate has produced thousands of pieces for publishers and business entities, including National Geographic, and has been retained as a consultant by various movie studios. His style is punctuated by the judicious use of stark whites against blues and blacks, accented with red, and sparcely starred space. He is widely recognized as a modern master.

 Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991)

Eugene Wesley Roddenberry was born in El Paso, TX, but grew up in Los Angeles where his father worked as a policeman. He was schooled in law and aeronautical engineering, became a pilot, and joined the Army Air Corps in the fall of 1941. When America entered World War II, he served in the South Pacific flying B-17s. He flew 89 sorties, and his combat record earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he became a pilot for Pan American Airlines. He received a special commendation from the Civil Aeronautics Board for gallant action after a deadly crash in the Syrian desert. Losing 2 engines, the plane caught fire. Only 8 of the 46 passengers survived, but Roddenberry led them to safety.

During the war, Roddenberry had begun to write for aviation magazines. Home in Los Angeles, he got his first exposure to the medium of television, which was then only in it's infancy. He decided this was his opportunity to really break into the writing industry, and left aviation for a new career. At first, he was frustrated by heavy competition and his limited experience, so he joined the police force, which provided income, as well as broadening his perspective from which to write. Slowly, the scripts he generated, often under the pseudonym "Robert Wesley", began to gain acceptance. He had acheived the rank of Sergeant with the LAPD by the time he felt ready to leave that for writing full time. He sold scripts for numerous network programs, and became head writer for the western Have Gun, Will Travel.

Later, created and produced the series The Lieutenant, about the experiences of a young U.S. Marine. The show is said to have inspired Don Levine to create the world's first "action figure", the timeless favorite, Hasbro's G.I. Joe. Then, Roddenberry began trying to sell the studios on a new project. Roddenberry could not have dreamed that this project, while it was a huge struggle to bring to fruition, and never considered a ratings winner by the network, would become an international phenomenon, and a television legend that would grow exponentially and eventually outlive him.

This was of course, Star Trek. One could fill several books with facts and opinions about Star Trek, as indeed has been done. Suffice it to say that NBC cancelled the show after 2 seasons, then relented and gave it one more. It ran from 1966 to 1969, after which Roddenberry continued producing scripts and pilot ideas for shows during the early 1970's. Few were filmed, and none went into production as a series. In the late 70's, partly on the momentum of 1977's Star Wars, he was give the go ahead to write and produce Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was released to theatres in 1979. Star Trek Movies became a box-office franchise unto themselves, but Roddenberry had long sought to bring Star Trek back to television. This too became a reality in 1987, with the nationally syndicated Star Trek: The Next Generation, featuring an all new crew, set a century after the original series. It ran for seven seasons, but partway through its run, an aging Roddenberry turned over the reigns to others.

Gene Roddenberry died in September of 1991, and was survived by his wife, Majel Leigh Hudec, whom the public knew as Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel from the original series, and Lwaxana Troi from Next Generation). He was also survived by their son, Gene Roddenberry Junior, as well as by 2 daughters from a previous marriage. His contribution to American culture is saluted by the fact that the model used to depict the original Enterprise NCC-1701 is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution. Many have given Roddenberry an honorary moniker: The Great Bird Of The Galaxy. His ashen remains were also taken on a flight aboard a space shuttle as a fitting tribute to a man with great dreams of the future.