On the anniversary of the dawn of the Space Age, Gene Roddenberry's hometown of El Paso, Texas, has declared today "Gene Roddenberry Day" to coincide with the dedication of a planetarium also named after the Star Trek creator.

October 4 happens to be the 45th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik I, Earth's first artificial satellite. That event in 1957 brought mankind into the Space Age, a moment in history depicted in the recent Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek."

Several luminaries from the Star Trek world are in town to celebrate the day, including Roddenberry's son, Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Jr., who will join planetarium director John Peterson in several TV interviews and a visit to the location where his father was born.

Also attending the dedication of the Gene Roddenberry Planetarium are Michael Dorn ("Worf"), Marina Sirtis ("Deanna Troi"), Nicole deBoer ("Ezri Dax"), Ethan Phillips ("Neelix") and Robert Picardo ("The Doctor"), along with Apollo 12 astronaut Dick Gordon. These celebrities are in town for a Star Trek convention this weekend organized by Slanted Fedora Entertainment and a local TV station, KTSM, specifically to celebrate Roddenberry in the place of his birth.

The planetarium was renamed last November after a vote by the El Paso school board responded to the wishes of teachers and students of the school district (see related story), but the re-dedication of the facility was reserved for this day. The planetarium plaque contains a quote from Majel Barrett Roddenberry: "Gene always said he was a learner, not a teacher, and he liked nothing better than to have someone disagree with him because as he said, 'Think of the avenues that become open to you that way.'"

The proclamation by the mayor and city council (seen below) declares that every October 4 in the city shall be remembered as Gene Roddenberry Day. Upon recognizing his accomplishments in creating a phenomenon which lives on with legions of followers "known as 'Trekkies,'" the document states, "It must be remembered by all El Pasoans that this phenomenal man and his great vision was a native El Pasoan."

The precise place of Roddenberry's birth is also being formally marked by the city. A wooden plaque is being placed at 1907 E. Yandell — even though, instead of the house where the Great Bird was born in 1921, the lot is now the site of a flower shop in a small shopping strip. According to an article in the El Paso Times, the flower shop owners don't know what all the fuss is about, but they look forward to the increased exposure for their business, and city officials believe the historical marker will contribute to tourism.

More information about the events in El Paso can be found at the links below.

Photos courtesy of John Peterson, The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium