July 8, 2004

Scotty

From CNN/AP: bq. James M. Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on the '60s "Star Trek" TV series, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, his agent confirmed Tuesday. bq. Doohan, 84, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's "within the last couple months," agent Steven Stevens told The Associated Press. bq. He said Doohan is in the beginning stages of the disease, a progressive neurological disorder that afflicted former President Ronald Reagan, who died June 5. bq. Doohan, who lives in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, also has suffered for some time with Parkinson's disease, diabetes and fibrosis, the latter due to chemical exposure during World War II when he was a soldier in the Canadian military, Stevens said. bq. One of Doohan's sons, Chris Doohan, of Thousand Oaks, California, said the Alzheimer's diagnosis stemmed from his father's increasing loss of short-term memory. bq. "His longterm memory seems to be intact," said Chris Doohan, 45. "If you ask him how he got his role on 'Star Trek' or (about) D-Day, he can talk for an hour about that. But if you ask him what he had for breakfast," he can't say. Always a fond place in my heart for Scotty. Picard _is_ the better Captain though... [grin] Posted by DaveH at July 8, 2004 12:25 AM