 The elder Roddenberry became a patrolman , and held that rank for the next twenty years . The family expanded with the birth of Robert Leon Roddenberry in 1924 , and Doris Willodean Roddenberry in 1925 . During this time , the Roddenberrys bought their first home at 3243 Drew Street . During Gene 's early years , he was saved by a quick thinking milkman who noticed that the house was on fire . He pounded on the door until Glen awoke and rushed out of the house with the children in tow . Roddenberry 's father kept rabbits , and the children sold them outside the house . It was these animals that became the subject of Roddenberry 's first published work in his school 's twice @-@ yearly newspaper , The Ace . During his childhood , Roddenberry was interested in reading , especially pulp magazines , and was a fan of stories such as John Carter of Mars , Tarzan , and the Skylark series by E. E. Smith . 
