REMEMBERING MAJEL BARRETT

Today's blog is about a beautiful lady that worked very closely with De in the Original series: Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

I had the wonderful honor of meeting Majel back in the early eighties at a convention when I was very young. DeForest Kelley was also at this con. While he was up on the stage talking-- I actually got up and left the hall for a few minutes--to go to the restroom. (can you believe that??? How rude of me!--but I was only very young and apparently didn't know any better)

Anyways, as I was on my way to the restroom, wearing my T'Pring costume (there was a costume contest immediately following or maybe it happened before De was on stage) and Majel was sitting outside the hall at a table in the dealers area. She spotted me and called me over. I was painfully shy in those days so very meekly went to see what she wanted. She gushed over my costume--she just loved it. She was very sweet to me, I wasn't expecting that from somebody I watched on the TV and I just about died. So I meekly asked her for an autograph, they were free in those days. And she very happily signed an art print for me. I still have it. Or actually my parents have it in a box in their garage. Maybe I'll go over there one of these days and look for it.

I remember her on stage at that convention, too. My favorite was when she'd said she really wanted the part of Nurse Chapel but the network or other higher ups were reluctant. She dyed her hair blond and walked casually past Gene. He nodded at her, then stopped and gasped out "MAJEL?!"

That was perfect casting in TOS-she just looked fantastic as Nurse Chapel. She played a romantic character with such grace. Later on, I loved seeing her wonderfully eccentric performance as Lwaxana Troi in TNG.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her son Rod.