Hal Lynch, who memorably played the baffled 20th-century Air Police Sergeant accidentally beamed aboard the Enterprise in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," died last Thursday, October 5, of an apparent suicide. He was 78.

James Harold Tilton Lynch was born and raised in Alabama, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and started his acting career in the 1950s, performing on Broadway before coming to Hollywood in 1964. For about 12 years he appeared in several films and did guest stints on numerous TV shows, including Gunsmoke, Hogan's Heroes, The Wild Wild West, The Fugitive, and Barnaby Jones alongside fellow Star Trek guest star Lee Meriwether. With Meriwether, Lynch also helped establish Theatre West in Hollywood, a non-profit arts organization.

"We had lots of fun times together," said Meriwether in an Alabama obituary. "He was always very supportive of me. He did so much for our theater here. He even built our light fixtures."

Returning in 1975 to the town where he grew up, Opp, Ala., Lynch dedicated himself to preserving the community's history, and to that end wrote a weekly historical column for The Opp News.

According to reports, Lynch dropped off his last column to his newspaper editor at 8:00 a.m., and just after 9:00 a.m., his friends say, he dialed 911 and then shot himself.

Services were held last Friday in Opp. He is survived by two children.

We extend our condolences to Lynch's family and friends over this tragic loss.