WilliamShatner.com :: CELEBRATING DeFOREST

Posted by: LeopardHead on Saturday, June 22, 2002 - 12:29 AM

As Bill mentioned in his column last week, June 11, 2002 marked the third anniversary of DeForest Kelley's passing.

In light of this, we thought you might be interested in a new book by Kristine M. Smith called DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories, My Life and Times with a Remarkable Gentleman Actor.

June 21, 2002

De and Bill on stage at the 1995 Grand Slam Star Trek Convention in Pasadena, California. Photo by Ursula Reist.

As Bill mentioned in his column last week, June 11, 2002 marked the third anniversary of DeForest Kelley's passing.

In light of this, we thought you might be interested in a new book by Kristine M. Smith called DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories, My Life and Times with a Remarkable Gentleman Actor. The book is available through 1st Books Library.

The 1st Books Library website says:

<blockquote> Author Kristine Smith has been a fan of DeForest Kelley for three and a half decades. She has also meandered among his fans at numerous conventions and at individual and collective ceremonies honoring him and Star Trek. She writes: 'I have witnessed first-hand the enormous love and the respect people have for De. And I continue to see, almost daily, how people have remained enchanted with him, even following his passing in 1999. Millions of people were immediately and acutely affected by his unanticipated death. Tens of thousands of them expressed outright anguish - feelings akin to losing one’s best friend or a family member. A single, cursory visit to just one of numerous DeForest Kelley websites (national and international) proves the veracity of this declaration.'

</blockquote>

DeForest Kelley and Kristine Smith...and feline friend. Photo by Bill Dow.

On the 1st Books website, Kristine goes on to say:

<blockquote> 'Categorically and undeniably, De became - and will endure as - one of the most-loved and best-remembered personalities in the world. His Dr. McCoy is at the heart of Star Trek's mythology, and Trek is a tenacious mythology which will last, in all likelihood, until the day humans forget how to aspire to a higher standard for themselves and their progeny. De was my friend, but he was also my hero - one of very few heroes whose durability was sorely tested, yet found to be utterly reliable. I wrote this book to show how deeply De influenced my life – and to remind you, his fans and friends, how seamlessly and comfortably he fit into yours. I undertook this endeavor for the millions of fans who never had the pleasure of meeting De ‘up close and personal.’ My sincerest goal for this book is that it will validate every intuition you ever had about DeForest Kelley being one of Hollywood’s ‘good guys.’'

</blockquote> Kristine was with DeForest during the last few months of his life and recently told us that she wanted "to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Shatner for his visits to De when he was in the hospital - and to Carolyn after De passed away. I know how much both De and Carolyn love 'Willie Boy' (De's nickname for Bill). Please let him know that his visits picked them up as few others could!"

De's wife, Carolyn is still at the Motion Picture & Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, 10-15 miles from the home she and DeForest shared for many years. But, Kristine told us that Carolyn's mood has been "much cheerier these days."

If you would like to send a card or note to Carolyn, you may send it to her in care of the following address:

<div align="center">Carolyn Kelley</div>

<div align="center">c/o Motion Picture & Television Hospital</div>

<div align="center">23388 Mulholland Drive</div>

<div align="center">Woodland Hills, CA 91436</div>

If you'd like to read more about the book, click here for a link to an article which Kristine wrote last year entitled "Remembering DeForest Kelley."

You can order DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories, My Life and Times with a Remarkable Gentleman Actor at a discount through 1st Books Library. It's available in both hardcover and softcover as well as in electronic format.

Contributed by Jane Singer and Sandy Moruzzi

P.S. If you missed any of our past articles, you can view them in the SFI Archive.

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