This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I feel like I've lost a friend. Like a little bit of my childhood is gone.
Leonard Nimoy — best known as Mr. Spock on "Star Trek" — passed away at the age of 83.
Obviously, I didn't know him well. I interviewed him a few times over the past 25 years, both in person and on the phone. He was always unfailingly polite, and gave good answers to even not-so-good questions.
While I'm not someone who gets starstruck, it was always sort of hard to focus on anything other than ... Wow! I'm talking to Leonard Nimoy!
Both Nimoy and Spock were a big part of my life. A big part of the lives of all of us who grew up on "Star Trek" and who, almost half a century after it premiered, still consider ourselves Trekkers.
I wasn't quite old enough to watch much of the original series when it aired on NBC, but when it hit syndication I was one of the millions who became devoted fans. I wanted to be on that ship with Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew.
I've never owned a Starfleet uniform, but there is a model of the U.S.S. Enterprise just over my shoulder as I write this. And there are a whole lot more starships at home. And I'm not (entirely) embarrassed about that.
Nimoy is gone, but Spock will live on forever on film. And both the man and the character he played will remain in our hearts.