This spot has again been set aside for the words and thoughts of specific individuals that have influenced people's lives in some way. This issue's article is dedicated to the individual that introduced me to Dr. Who oh-so-long-ago when we were in high school in 1980-81. That person is Mike Mason of Manhattan Beach, California. (Not to be confused with Michael Mason from the Time Meddlers).

In the mid-70's thru the early 80's I used to hang out with a friend of mine named Mike Mason. We both had a lot in common, including science fiction. We watched most of the same TV shows & movies and read a lot of the same books, but in particular I remember a certain set of books which he collected called Dr. Who.

Now, at the young age of 18, I had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded really interesting. Mike, who was also 18, was all over this character called "The Doctor", who traveled through space and time in a blue London police box that was bigger on the inside that it was on the out. Traveling with him was always a companion or two, including a variety of young ladies, and a mechanical dog named K-9. His outfits were quite odd, he always wore a scarf and just loved to offer people Jelly Babies.

Mike also told me that there were stories about other "regenerations" of the Doctor, where he was another person entirely (at least looks-wise), still piloting his "TARDIS" through time & space. My friend, though, seemed to be drawn to one Doctor's stories more than any other, and that was the now-infamous 4th Doctor, Tom Baker. He would spend his weekly allowance on a used 4th Doctor book at the local used bookstore. After reading it, he would relay the stories to me… About Egyptian mummies, the Loch Ness Monster, Oriental mysticism and the occasional Dalek invasion of Earth or some other planet. All I knew was that someday I needed to read these books.

Flash-forward to 1990, I was bored one Saturday morning and was switching through the channels, when I ran across a show on Channel 28 (PBS) called Dr. Who. To my surprise, it was the show that my friend Mike had told me about some 10 years before. Only this time, the Doctor I was watching was the 5th regeneration, Peter Davison, in an episode called Arc Of Infinity. Well, one story and I was hooked. After all, how can one resist?

Since then, I have gone back and read all of those books that Mike used to love to read so much. I only hope I enjoyed them as much as he used to. My guess is that I did. So, to my old friend Mike (wherever you are now) and the 4th Doctor's stories, I say "Thanks" and "Cheers" to all the fun times we shared. And, oh yeah, "Jelly baby, Mike?"

Some of Mike's favorites include: "Dr. Who and The Loch Ness Monster", "Dr. Who and The Pyramids of Mars", "Dr. Who and The Robots of Death", "Dr. Who and The Talons of Weng-Chiang" and "Dr. Who and The Android Invasion".

P.S. Hey Mike, if you are out there somewhere, and by chance read this newsletter, please feel free to contact us by any means you wish. We miss you. Peace!

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Last update: Thursday, April 4, 2002