RIP Richard Datin, one of the fathers of the Enterprise

[Maurice]

Mr. Richard Datin passed away January 24th, but I didn't see any mention of it here, so I thought I'd post this.

Richard Datin Orbituary.

His Website.

Some additional info on Memory Alpha.

Richard Datin (left)

​

The newborn Big E.

 

[Botany Bay]

Farewell, Richard - thanks for lending your talents to the best TV show ever made.

 

[Green Shirt]

I had asked a question, or sent a comment to his website a few years back. He responded very quickly and graciously. He left me with the impression that he was a thoughtful and considerate man.

 

[Maurice]

I didn't realize he lived in the Reno area, where I visit now and then. Had I, I would have tried to meet him.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

That's not Richard Datin in the center--see here. There is a larger version of the correct image here.

 

[Josie]

That's sad. RIP Richard Datin. At least he finally got the recognition he deserved.

 

[Captain Robert April]

That's not Richard Datin in the center--see here. There is a larger version of the correct image here.

Datin probably took the picture up top.

 

[Doug Otte]

Despite the error in identifying him in that pic, it's nice to see another picture of the original Enterprise model. It's a particularly nice pic, and I've never seen that one before.

Doug

 

[Maurice]

That's not Richard Datin in the center--see here. There is a larger version of the correct image here.

Oops. My mistake. I put up the wrong photo. I fixed it.

 

[Sir Rhosis]

RIP Mr. Datin.

That said, I can't help but imagine what the average motorist, driving by as these pics were being taken, thought that thing was.

Sir Rhosis

 

[Christopher]

RIP Mr. Datin.

Indeed.

That said, I can't help but imagine what the average motorist, driving by as these pics were being taken, thought that thing was.

Yeah. That is so freaky, seeing the Enterprise hovering over a sidewalk, roughly the size of a small car. I mean, I've imagined it as a 947-foot-long starship, I've seen it as a footlong tabletop model, and (as my avatar currently shows) I've stood by that very miniature in its display case in the NASM gift shop, but seeing it at that size in that mundane context has a striking incongruity to it.

 

[plynch]

Where's the pic taken? I love the time capsule. The cars, the bell sign, the striped top, etc.

 

[Maurice]

Here's the spot where the photo was taken in Burbank. CA. The Providencia Motel is still there, as is the building across the street, which still looks the same. The Church visible in the old photos is there, hard to see because of smog. It looks farther away because the Google Street View uses fisheye type lenses and stretches the perspective.

If you look into the background of the 1965 photo,... cars can be seen crossing San Fernando Blvd. just as in the map pic. It's fascinating, but when you look at the details it appears exactly the same landscape.

 

[GSchnitzer]

As DS9Sega has indicated, Richard Datin's old shop was located at 104 East Providencia Avenue in Burbank.

Here's a recent shot from the exact same angle--from the folks over at the HobbyTalk forum:

 

[scotpens]

Where's the pic taken? I love the time capsule. The cars, the bell sign, the striped top, etc.

The cars and the old Bell System logo certainly date the picture, but have men stopped wearing striped shirts?

 

[Green Shirt]

As DS9Sega has indicated, Richard Datin's old shop was located at 104 East Providencia Avenue in Burbank.

Here's a recent shot from the exact same angle--from the folks over at the HobbyTalk forum:

Wow, that sidewalk looks almost unchanged - from the thin strip next to the curb to the lighter section between the second and third parked cars. Maybe Public Works was keeping such an historic area as close to accurate to the time of the Big "E" rollout as it could.

 

[Christopher]

But that signpost wasn't there in '64, nor was the crack in the pavement leading up to it. And the street pavement in the foreground has a lot more cracks. So it seems, rather, that the neighborhood is well overdue for maintenance.

 

[Green Shirt]

But that signpost wasn't there in '64, nor was the crack in the pavement leading up to it. And the street pavement in the foreground has a lot more cracks. So it seems, rather, that the neighborhood is well overdue for maintenance.

I was making a "" comment, not nitpicking a load of dried cement.

Oh well.

 

[plynch]

Where's the pic taken? I love the time capsule. The cars, the bell sign, the striped top, etc.

The cars and the old Bell System logo certainly date the picture, but have men stopped wearing striped shirts?

yes

No, but seriously - the change in how far you can (can't) see! I have never been to LA and only heard about the smog. I walked down the street via Google maps, and that sure does seem to be the same church about a block to the NE. Granted the roof line is obstructed by a corner strip mall, but the bell tower is still visible - just barely. And the mountains seem miles removed from their location in the first pic. Very interesting.

"TrekAce's" pic is much clearer. Was it just a smoggier day on Google Maps pictaking day? Does it vary a lot. I am in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan: mainly woods with a few small cities (mine: 15,000 pop.) though I did grow up in the D. I am ignorant about the realities of smog and LA life.

 

[Maurice]

Smog varies a lot depending on the weather. Actually, the smog today in L.A. isn't as bad as it was, as there's been some effort (not entirely successful) to curb it. Still, some days it looks pristine, the next it's like looking through stretched nylons.