Fan Michael Deckinger died on February 12, 2012. Deckinger found fandom in the 1950s and was a member of ESFA until he moved to California in 1971. He spent a term as director of ESFA, in charge of booking speakers. He was also active as a fan editor and his own writing has more recently appeared in Earl Kemp’s eI.
Theresa Derwin and Jim Mowatt have declared they are running for TAFF, to travel to the United States for LoneStarCon 3 in 2013. The official ballot is on-line and voting runs through April 19.
Croatian fan Mihaela Marija Perković won the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund (GUFF) to represent Europe at Conflux. Perković beat Julie McMurray with a tally of 49-30. Perković has been active in fandom since 1991. Fans from 15 countries participated in the vote.
Dr. John N. Marx (b.1937) died on December 13. Marx turned his passion for science fiction into a profession, creating Marx Books in 1977, through which he sold some of the 80,000 volumes in his collection. From 1967 through 2004, he taught at Texas Tech University.
The Baltimore Science Fiction Society will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary at the Baltimore SFS building (3310 E. Baltimore St) on January 12, 2013 at 8:00pm. Founded on January 5, 1963 on a bus ride back to Baltimore from a WSFA meeting, BSFS founded Balticon in 1967. The original BSFS lapsed after 1968, but was reorganized in 1974.
C. Ross Chamberlain has been awarded the 2012 Rotsler Award for long-time fannish artistic achievement in science fiction at Loscon 39 on November 24. The Rotsler was established in 1998 and includes a $300 honorarium. Sponsored by the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, the award is named for William Rotsler. The current judges include Claire Brialey, Mike Glyer, and John Hertz.
Los Angeles fan Vanessa Schnatmeier (b.1954) died on November 20 from complications of endometrial cancer. Schnatmeier was active is LASFS and wrote for the groups APAzine as well as other fanzines. She was also active in Regency dancing, cofounding the Bay Area English Regency Society in 1985.
Steven H Silver has announced his resignation as the publisher and editor of ISFiC Press. Silver helped found the press in 2004 and has overseen most aspects of it from production to fulfillment since 2003. Silver will work with ISFiC, the Press’s parent corporation, to develop a transition plan to make sure fulfillment and production continue. Under Silver’s guidance, ISFiC Press published 12 books, included Aurora winner Relativity, by Robert J. Sawyer and Hugo nominee Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches, edited by Joe Siclari and Mike Resnick. ISFiC Press’s most recent books are Win Some, Lose Some: The Complete Hugo Award Winning (and Nominated) Short Science Fiction and Fantasy of Mike Resnick and Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots, by Seanan McGuire.
Boston fan Pam Fremon died on November 7. Fremon served as chair of Boskone twice, in 2002 and 2006, and also served several terms as Clerk of NESFA. In 1990, she was selected as a Fellow of NESFA. Fremon was in charge of signage for Noreascon 4 in 2005. She helped compile the Silverlock Companion, which was included in NESFA Press’s 2004 edition of John Myers Myers’s novel.
The Nova Award winners were announced the weekend of November 09 at Novacon. The Nova Awards are presented to recognize excellence in British fanzine publishing and writing.