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Memoirs of a Superfluous Fan, 1944

Page 6

LASFL the greatest without a doubt of all science fiction clubs then and now, has been broken apart for many a long month and year.

  The minutes for the meeting of August 19, 1937, show the following persons to have been present:  Forrest J Ackerman, Russell J. Hodgkins, Bob Olson (yes, the author), Henry Kuttner, Arthur K. Barnes, Morojo, Virgil Smith (her son), Roy A. Squires, Mr., Mrs., and Roy Test Jr., Karl Edward Forst von Lutz and wife, Hal and Victor Clark, Perry L. Lewis, Francis Fairchild, Bruce Yerke, Karl McNeil, Vernon W. Harry, Eddie Anderson, Maurice DuClose, Don Green, Al Mussen, and George Tullis.

  That was the big meeting of 1937, at which Dr. David H. Keller was guest.  As can be seen, there was a liberal sprinkling of authors present, all of whom were more or less regular attenders.  It was a different crowd . . . not only by person, but by deportment and behaviour.  The average age was perhaps 23.  Average meetings ran about two-thirds of the above number of persons.  I cite this meeting mainly to give a morphological cross-section of the structure of the LASFL during 1937.

  WHEN I FIRST walked into the Little Brown Room in January of that year, Perry L. Lewis was my immediate discoverer.  "Is Mr. Ackerman here?" I querried timorously.  Mr. Lewis, enjoying the situation immensly <sic>, let out a whoop of "MR. Ackerman?!" and shooed me down the room to where Forrest was sitting.

  At the time I thought Lewis to be an obnoxious person.  Now I wish I had been old enough to appreciate the character.  Lewis was one of the Glendale SFL, a triumverate of Squires-Fox-Lewis.  He worked in a stationary store.  I imagine he was a typical aggresive <sic>, intelligent, cynical high school graduate of the day.  My later impressions of him, up until he finally dropped out sometime late in 1939 or early 1940 were always enjoyable.  He was sarcastic, but an interested fan of the type that existed then in large quantities; reading, corresponding, and collecting, nothing much more.

  That night I met David Fox, Roy Squires, Russ Hodgkins, All Mussen, Roy Test, and Vernon Wilfred Harry.  The others who were present I have forgotten, and these few I remember because I later had dealings with them and with Hodgkins a good friendship.  My interest in science fiction magazines was avid.  The sight of those huge quarterlies and old Science Wonder Stories which Squires and Ackerman, and I guess Test and Harry, were trading sent me reeling.  I wanted to possess them, to readthem <sic>.  I presume an archaeologist being allowed to view undestroyed Mayan relics drools and slobbers no less than I when wallowing in piles of quarterlies and the like back in 1937.

  I was immensely flattered when these "experts" asked me to read THE TALE WHICH HATH NO TITLE, a sort of ALICIA IN BLUNDERLAND affair which was one of the projects of the chapter at that time.  When Ackerman asked me my opinion of it I gave a very sober literary analysis which must have been screamingly funny to the others.  And my appreciation of these people knew no bounds when Vernon Wilfred Harry, with great magnanimity, asked me to join the WORLD GIRDLERS' INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE LEAGUE CORESPONDENCE <sic> CLUB.  The consciencless <sic> villain rooked me out of some dues on the spot, and I was given some stationary to boot.  All in all I was very proud.

  Other events of the meeting are lost to obscurity.  The world of the future seemed awfully close, though.  Here were people who thought about it, much as I did.  Schoolmates laughed at such things, but when I could tell them that I know adults who spent their time in such a manner, I felt that my own interest was

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LASFL the greatest without a doubt of all science fiction clubs then and now, has been broken apart for many a long month and year. The minutes for the meeting of August 19, 1937, show the following persons to have been present: Forrest J Ackerman, Russell J. Hodgkins, Bob Olson (yes, the author), Henry Kuttner, Arthur K. Barnes, Morojo, Virgil Smith (her son), Roy A. Squires, Mr., Mrs., and Roy Test Jr., Karl Edward Forst von Lutz and wife, Hal and Victor Clark, Perry L. Lewis, Francis Fairchild, Bruce Yerke, Karl McNeil, Vernon W. Harry, Eddie Anderson, Maurice DuClose, Don Green, Al Mussen, and George Tullis. That was the big meeting of 1937, at which Dr. David H. Keller was guest. As can be seen, there was a liberal sprinkling of authors present, all of whom were more or less regular attenders. It was a different crowd . . . not only by person, but by deportment and behaviour. The average age was perhaps 23. Average meetings ran about two-thirds of the above number of persons. I cite this meeting mainly to give a morphological cross-section of the structure of the LASFL during 1937. WHEN I FIRST walked into the Little Brown Room in January of that year, Perry L. Lewis was my immediate discoverer. "Is Mr. Ackerman here?" I querried timorously. Mr. Lewis, enjoying the situation immensly , let out a whoop of "MR. Ackerman?!" and shooed me down the room to where Forrest was sitting. At the time I thought Lewis to be an obnoxious person. Now I wish I had been old enough to appreciate the character. Lewis was one of the Glendale SFL, a triumverate of Squires-Fox-Lewis. He worked in a stationary store. I imagine he was a typical aggresive , intelligent, cynical high school graduate of the day. My later impressions of him, up until he finally dropped out sometime late in 1939 or early 1940 were always enjoyable. He was sarcastic, but an interested fan of the type that existed then in large quantities; reading, corresponding, and collecting, nothing much more. That night I met David Fox, Roy Squires, Russ Hodgkins, All Mussen, Roy Test, and Vernon Wilfred Harry. The others who were present I have forgotten, and these few I remember because I later had dealings with them and with Hodgkins a good friendship. My interest in science fiction magazines was avid. The sight of those huge quarterlies and old Science Wonder Stories which Squires and Ackerman, and I guess Test and Harry, were trading sent me reeling. I wanted to possess them, to readthem . I presume an archaeologist being allowed to view undestroyed Mayan relics drools and slobbers no less than I when wallowing in piles of quarterlies and the like back in 1937. I was immensely flattered when these "experts" asked me to read THE TALE WHICH HATH NO TITLE, a sort of ALICIA IN BLUNDERLAND affair which was one of the projects of the chapter at that time. When Ackerman asked me my opinion of it I gave a very sober literary analysis which must have been screamingly funny to the others. And my appreciation of these people knew no bounds when Vernon Wilfred Harry, with great magnanimity, asked me to join the WORLD GIRDLERS' INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE LEAGUE CORESPONDENCE CLUB. The consciencless villain rooked me out of some dues on the spot, and I was given some stationary to boot. All in all I was very proud. Other events of the meeting are lost to obscurity. The world of the future seemed awfully close, though. Here were people who thought about it, much as I did. Schoolmates laughed at such things, but when I could tell them that I know adults who spent their time in such a manner, I felt that my own interest was