James "Scotty" Doohan Dies

Recently James Doohan, at age 85, passed away in his Redmond, Washington home. Best known for his role as Scotty on the famed Star Trek TV Series, his wit and swashbuckling technical skills, kept Captain Kirk and his Crew from certain doom! I have a chance to meet James a few years back, at a local Computer Show. He was not even announced, so it was a surprise to see him sitting in the corner. The crowd was small, since no one knew he would be making an appearance. I went over to get an autograph and talk with him. I told him how great it was to see him on the Star Trek: Next Generation show, and that he did a great job as Scotty. He thanked me. I went on to ask if he really had a negative feeling for William Shatner. He seemed to want to blow into a tirade about "That son of a ..." when his publicist stepped in, and said they had some differences in the past, but look forward to working on joint projects. I hope Shatner and Doohan had a chance to reconcile. None-the-less I enjoyed his character as Scotty, and will now look back at the old shows with kind reverence for him and his family!