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Available from the secretary: Mary Morman, [censored], Silver Spring, MD 20902-4008
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The first Friday meeting was convened at 9:15 pm on 3 June 1988 at the home of Alexis and Doll Gilliland.
OFFICERS' REPORTS:
The new president, Erica Van Dommelen, opened her first meeting with the statement that five years ago she remembered coming to WSFA at the Gillilands and leaving if Eva Whitley wasn't there - now we won't let her leave.
Joe Mayhew, as outgoing secretary, gave the minutes of the 3rd Friday meeting for May. Mary Morman, incoming secretary, asked everyone present to come and sign in - or risk not being present.
Bob MacIntosh, treasurer, told us WSFA had $12,243.46. A spontaneous acclamation from the floor favored holding a party.
COMMITTEES:
DISCLAVE Past - Tom Schaad, chairman of Disclave past, made his report. Official membership (badges issued) was about 1260. Tom thanked everyone for everything. He thought the con was very successful. The hotel loves us - wants us to bear their children. The con suite was so successful, the pool was open and functioning, and there was such good weather - that the hotel sold 180 room nights to Disclave on Sunday night. This made for a great DeadDog party and gave the hucksters a great day on Monday - they sold more at Disclave than anywhere but WorldCon.
Rebecca spoke up to thank Tom for the 4pm check out. Joe said that we need to check badges more closely to keep down crashers in the hotel lobby. Mike Walsh commented that the air conditioning in the lobby quit on Tuesday morning right after we left. Joe Mayhew extended a welcome to the new WSFAns who had worked the con.
Tom sent a special thank you to Terry Sheehan for the Prom, and finished up by saying that, despite all his hard work to spend as much money as possible, the con was financially in good shape.
DISCLAVE Yet to Come - Mike Walsh, chairman of Disclave yet-to-come, made the next committee report. He said he is looking forward to a year from NOW (when his con will be over like Mike's). The hotel is eager to host us next year. An item of concern is the small but 'present' minority living in the lobby. Someone suggested that we either get them involved with the con - or to get rid of them. The hotel was asked to clear the lobby but didn't bother. We need to emphasize in future fliers that we will no longer put up with this behavior so that the situation doesn't get out of hand.
GOH for the con is Lucius Shepard, fan GOH are Alexis and Dolly Gilliland. There is a letter out to an artist GOH, but there is no response yet. There will be a Disclave meeting in the future sometime.
The hotel plans a $3 million renovation in the next year. Mike will look into a new hotel, but feels we're not classy enough for a ritzy hotel. "We'd be out on the street by Saturday morning." With everyone's help next year will be as good as last.
Entertainment - Dolly said that a theatre party to Who Framed Roger Rabbit has been suggested. She says she will try to see what we can do. Fourth of July party will be at the Heneghan's. The club will provide hot dogs and drinks. Call Dolly to co-ordinate food.
Someone from the floor panned the movie Nightfall and received general agreement. Someone else pointed out (for information) that newcomers must attend three meetings before they can join WSFA.
OLD BUSINESS:
None.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mary Morman moved that the club send a representative (her) to Sydney to check on the progress of the '91 WorldCon bid. Bob MacIntosh seconded the motion. Erica Van Dommelen amended the motion to stipulate that Mary should stay with Lee Smoire to keep costs down. Mary withdrew the motion.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Smith: There is a Folk Festival at Glen Echo tomorrow.
Steve Fetheroff: Mike Walsh has boobs for sale.
Dan Hoey: Looking for the man who was making cappuccino in the
consuite at DISCLAVE. We have the gentleman's tips waiting for him.
Mary Morman: Anyone who doesn't submit their announcements in writing
risks seeing them written up as she hears them. No one submitted
written announcements.
ATTENDING:
Erica Lilly, North Lilly, Terilee and Jim Edwards-Hewitt, Robyn Rissell, Brian Lewis, Nancy Sitton, Christie Golden, Walter Miles, Rick Kurik, Megan Davis, Steve Smith, Kent Bloom, Erica Van Dommelen, Matt Lawrence, Dan Hoey, Beth Bishop, Joe Mayhew, Susan Cohen, George Nyhen, Charles Gilliland, Naomi Ronis, Abner Mintz, John Pomeranz, Kathi Overton, Lance Oszko, George Koelsch, Don Bieniewicz, Crystal Hagel, Jean Yarsawich, Flahsh, Bob MacIntosh, George Shaner, Will Kolbl, Rebecca Prather, Mike Walsh, Tom Schaad, David Hastie, Vicki Smith, Dick Roepke, Chris Callahan, Evan Phillips, and probably several others.
The third Friday meeting convened at 9:12pm on 17 June 1988 at the home of Kent Bloom and Mary Morman.
OFFICERS' REPORTS:
The minutes of the last meeting were waived by a motion from the floor. They will be published in the WSFA Journal.
The treasurer, Bob MacIntosh, told us WSFA had $12,186.46. A spontaneous acclamation from the floor favored holding a party.
COMMITTEES:
DISCLAVE Past - Tom Schaad said the books were not quite closed yet on the con, but that he will turn over the profits within a few weeks.
DISCLAVE Yet to Come - Mike Walsh announced the Art GOH as J. K. Potter.
Entertainment - Alexis Gilliland reported for Dolly who was unable to attend. He said that back in March Lee Uba suggested a site for the Fourth of July picnic. She received a go-ahead to look into the site and report back. Apparently, she made a site reservation, but didn't report back to WSFA. Alexis said that he went out to the site for an evening and drank daiquiris. He reports the site as 40 acres (no mule), with a pond, and wide verandah, WSFA is already blocked in for the 4th - but it seems we've planned the party for Jack Heneghan's. Can we change and do we want to?
The feeling of the club, during much discussion, seemed to be that we are committed to the Heneghan's for this year, but that we don't want to insult the nice guy (Kenward) who offered the site. Perhaps we can apologize and book for next 4th or for a fifth Friday party (to be held on a Saturday?). Alexis will handle the matter by phone with Kenward, and the secretary will follow up with a polite letter when Alexis figures out what it is we want to say.
No further developments on the Roger Rabbit party.
DISCON Bid Committee - Kent Bloom reported that the committee is working out how to afford to go to New Orleans and that they think they can manage it. The bid needs help so all are encouraged to volunteer.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mary Morman asked for a volunteer to keep the WSFA archives. This is several boxes of fanzines, etc. which must be kept dry and safe. Keith Marshall volunteered and Joe Mayhew pointed out that the traditional WSFA name is Club Librarian.
North asked for a count of WSFAns who would like to attend a musical stage version of The Rocky Horror Show done at Towson. He will coordinate with the Entertainment committee.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mary Morman: It's WSFA Journal policy that anyone who doesn't submit
their announcements in writing risks seeing them written up as she
hears them.
Erica has four arms.
Mike has books for sale for $1. He got a ticket.
Martin is a commodity and Lee Smoire was committed.
Robyn is having a moving experience.
Brian Lewis has a new job servicing and practicing insertion.
Jul talked to Lee in Perth. She is still there.
John Pomeranz: The DC in '92 bid has a work session on July 10th at
his house at 1pm. He has maps.
Mary Morman: The newly acquired piano in the living room is an antique
(it was her grandmother's). Please be VERY careful about putting
glasses or cans on the piano. Anyone who plays (not chopsticks) please
feel free to entertain us.
Peggy Rae: DISCON calendars are for sale for $5 and buttons for $1.
Evan: There are boxes of boxes of M&Ms left over from the con
suite. Please eat them.
No one submitted written announcements.
The meeting adjourned at 9:44pm.
ATTENDING:
Mark Owings, Covert Beach, Kim Elmore, Walter Miles, Sue and Ubear Winfield and baby, Bill the Cat, David Gresham, Rise Peters, Jim Young, Mike Walsh, Lance Oszko, Kate Terrell, ACES, John Pomeranz, Heather Nachman, Art Coleman, Jack Heneghan, Joe Hall, Robyn Rissell, Erica and North Lilly, Garth Barbour, Michele Smith-Moore, Steven Vaughan, Dan Hoey, Naomi Ronis, Mel Scharadin, Steve Smith, Judy Newton, Barry Newton, Meridel Newton, Susan Cohen, Virginia Vaughan-Nichols, and two people whose signatures I couldn't read.
Enclosed in this copy of the Journal is a questionnaire. This idea grew out of a program item at a convention some years ago that explored the idea of whether readers (specifically readers of science fiction and fantasy) crossed gender roles in identifying with a story's protaganist.
Since (at the time when most of us first began reading within the genre) most science fiction stories had male protagonists ('heroes'), I'd like to explore how closely female readers identified with these male role models during their culturally formative years. Who did you identify with - John Carter or Dejah Thoris, Taran or Eilonwy, Aragorn or Arwen - and did this affect your outlook on social mores and role identification?
Conversely, from the late sixties onward a whole new group of fiction arose that featured female protagonists. How did male readers (both young and older) deal with Podkayne, and Rite of Passage, and the early McCaffrey books? How did our genre grow from Heinlein and Asimov to Elizabeth Lynn and Suzette Hadin Elgin?
Science fiction fans are an odd lot. With the TV off, our nose in a book, and our minds on the stars, we don't quite fit into current society (circa 1950 or 1980...). What we read influences what we think. The places we travel vicariously through novels, the cultures we visit, the mores that we accept influence how we ourselves react to situations within our own culture.
I am hoping that many WSFAns will put a little thought into filling out the questionnaire and returning it to me. The club, as it now stands, has a wonderful breadth of ages and sexes that could make for a fascination survey. Feel free to pass the survey form along to other fans - the more the better.
I intend to publish the results in the WSFA Journal in two ways. First, a quasi-statistical evaluation of the conglomerate information, and second, individual responses, reminices, and reactions to the question at large. The first part will, of course, be entirely anonymous. You can remain anonymous in the second part if you like, or you can sign your name.
Mary Morman, WSFA Secretary
General Information:
Today's date ________ Your sex ________ Year you were born _______
Education: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5
Profession: ________________________________ Ever married? ___________
Juvenile Reading: (mid-teens and younger)
What was the first sf novel you read? ________________________________
How old were you when you read it? ___________________________________
What other kinds of books were you reading then? _____________________
When did sf begin to be a major part of what you read? _______________
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Can you remember three or four sf books that you read early on? Can you give some idea when you read them?
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Do you remember reading sf (or other) books where the main character was the opposite sex? What books?
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Do you remember any reaction? If you didn't think about it one way or the other, note that down.
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As a child or teenager what was your favorite sf book? When did you read it?
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As a child or teenager who was your favorite sf character? When did you discover him/her/it? Did you read (or look for) more books about it/her/him?
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Please use another sheet of paper to make any comments you think relevant about your experience with reading sf as a juvenile. I'm especially interested in reactions to opposite sex / same sex characters or authors.
Adult Reading: (mid-teens or older)
How much of what you now read is sf? _________________________________
What other genres form a significant part of your total reading?
______________________________________________________________________
Do usually identify with the main character in books you read?
______________________________________________________________________
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Do you identify equally with same sex or opposite sex characters?
______________________________________________________________________
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Can you remember any especially jarring or eye-opening incidents when reading about an opposite sex protaganist? Something you hadn't realized, didn't believe, or saw from a new perspective?
______________________________________________________________________
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Do you have any comments on how what you read has influenced your perception of your own sex role in our society? Did you absorb any moral values, sexual ethics, or vocational goals from your reading in sf?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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Please use another sheet of paper to make any further comments or describe any incidents or experiences that you think might be relevant to the topic.
If you want me to credit you for any short excerpts or comments from your survey, please include your name here.
To the Members of WSFA:
I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the
Disclave Convention Committee for their work on my behalf in running
the Senior Prom. Everyone with whom I came in contact was unfailingly
courteous and helpful. No matter what other demands on their time,
everyone made the effort to make sure I had the necessary keys,
equipment, and people to do my part of the convention. I especially
want to thank Tom Schaad for his support. Also deserving of thanks and
praise are John Pomeranz, Kathi Overton, Steve Fetheroff, and Kent
Bloom. Many others also deserve credit, but unfortunately their names
are not known to me. All I can do is offer a general word of thanks
and hope they get the message. With such people it is not possible
that Disclave could fail to be a success.
I have greatly enjoyed running the Prom at the convention these past two years. I had not realized what an important part of the con this dance had become until this year when a group of people expressed their unhappiness at some aspects of the function. I can only regret their disappointment, but there is nothing I can do to rectify what is past. However, I feel it is necessary to make some statement so that following years may avoid this problem. I was deeply distressed at their comments, but frankly did not understand why they were so upset. A little sleep and time to reflect has led me to the following conclusions.
These people specifically said they came to Disclave for the Prom. What appalled me was the notion that a Science Fiction convention was being judged on its ability to provide a dance. Whether they liked the dance or not should not be a measure of whether they should attend this convention in the future. The purpose of a convention is largely social, but it is definitely oriented towards the literature and the media that is our common interest. A convention should offer a variety of attractions for a more rounded experience. Certainly some aspects will appeal more to attendees than others, but to place that much importance on a single function negates the value of the other programming.
Last year's Senior Prom proved that it is something fans want. I tried to provide the same type of experience this year. I used the same type of decorations, the same type of room setup, and largely the same crew. Yet somehow it was perceived as totally different. I leave it to each individual to decide why it is so, but it does leave me with specific opinions.
Future dances at Disclave (and I firmly believe there is the desire for more) should be downscaled to the way they were three years ago. Someone should make a couple of dance tapes, a small sound system should be used, and dance floor put down. People had fun at these and there was far less potential for political problems resulting. Every three to five years have something on the order of a formal dance. Trying to continually outdo the year before places an unmeetable challenge on the person responsible for the dance from fans with an increasingly high expectation of the amount of enjoyment they will receive from the experience. The periodic formal dance will allow the freshness to be kept and make anticipation a pleasure, not a burden.
I offer my congratulations to the convention for this past year and my best wishes to next year's.
Sincerely,
Terry Sheehan
cc: Tom Schaad
Mike Walsh
