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Fan-Atic, v. 2, issue 1, whole no. 4, July 1941
Page 4
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FAN-ATIC 4 VISITATIONS TO BLOOMINGTON by Bob Tucker. I met my first fan in 1934. Previous to that time I had corresponded with a pack of the critters, and had even exchanged photos with a few, but until the summer of 1934 I had yet to meet a sample face to face. Looking back, I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't have been better for all concerned if my record was still unbroken. Charlie Hornig came to town first. He was at that time editor of Gernsback's WONDER STORIES and doing a neat job of it too. 'The boy editor', the current marvel of the age. WONDER was no slouch in those days. Then, as today, Charlie's hobby seemed to be floating about the country, he had the wanderlust. While visiting the Chicago World's Fair, "The Century of Progress Exposition," he made a little side-trip down to see me. I remember putting on a clean shirt and wearing my brother's Sunday-best shoes down to meet him. We had corresponded a lot, and his impression of Bloomington was a "cow path", a "wide place in the road". The bus driver helped foil that impression by bringing him into town in a round-about route that also took him thru another neighboring town, Normal. Charlie admitted later, after that bus ride, and my walking him over a coupla square miles that he was slightly wrong. I met him at the station -- gee my first fan! He was short and dark and keen-eyed. I started at home, disappointed, and he handed me his business card, with: "You must be Tucker?" I wonder how he knew? We walked about town (he was a tireless, snappy walker...is he yet?), looked at the sights, sat on the court-house railing and gossipped. That is, he gossipped and I listened, open-mouthed probably, to the delights of the big city and its numberless fans. I also recall picking up some "not for publication" scandal from him but I cannot remember now what it was. Then we went over to the theatre where I was working at the time and saw the show, on me. He afterwards said that he had already seen the picture, a Bette Davis drammer, but hesitated telling me then for fear of hurting my feelings. Hah! After a few hours he departed for Chicago, with promises to come back in the future. We have never met since. ------------------- My second fan visitor was William Dellenback of Chicago. Bill, as I remember now, was attending the University then, and also publishing with some other fans, Chicago's first fanzine, the "Fourteen Leaflet". It created a bit of a flurry because it was sewed together instead of stapled, and seemed to fit into the staple war then raging. We too had corresponded a good deal; and then one Sunday in 1935 (date unknown) Bill dropped in for a half-hour chat. His folks had been joyriding about the state and he managed to route them thru Bloomington. I recall nothing of our visit, mostly, I believe, because I was working at the time he called and the theatre manager had been very nasty about letting him into the projection booth. We were both embarrassed about it. He soon left, and we never met again. ------------------------- My third visitor came in 1937. Who he was I do not know to this day. Only the fact that he carried a copy of the Weinbaum Memorial volume and some other stf books under his arm made me believe he was a fan at all. He seemed familiar with the magazines, and the letter sections in them. I think he claimed to live in Evanston, Illinois. He about Paul Freehafer's build, dark hair and glasses, and had difficulty in talking. Very seedy in appearance, he said he was hitch-hiking form his home in Evanston to St. Louis to visit relatives, and thence was going coastward. He "heard of a fan named Ackerman out there." After putting the finger on me for a touch, and leaving with me the Weinbaum Memorial volume as "security" he departed, never to be seen around these diggings since. However, a few months after he left he wrote me from Evanston demanding "payment" for the book! He named a price, so after a letter or two in exchange, I paid the balance between the amount he touched me for and the amount he asked for the book...and I am still wondering who he is/was! (Next page.) ---------------------------
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FAN-ATIC 4 VISITATIONS TO BLOOMINGTON by Bob Tucker. I met my first fan in 1934. Previous to that time I had corresponded with a pack of the critters, and had even exchanged photos with a few, but until the summer of 1934 I had yet to meet a sample face to face. Looking back, I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't have been better for all concerned if my record was still unbroken. Charlie Hornig came to town first. He was at that time editor of Gernsback's WONDER STORIES and doing a neat job of it too. 'The boy editor', the current marvel of the age. WONDER was no slouch in those days. Then, as today, Charlie's hobby seemed to be floating about the country, he had the wanderlust. While visiting the Chicago World's Fair, "The Century of Progress Exposition," he made a little side-trip down to see me. I remember putting on a clean shirt and wearing my brother's Sunday-best shoes down to meet him. We had corresponded a lot, and his impression of Bloomington was a "cow path", a "wide place in the road". The bus driver helped foil that impression by bringing him into town in a round-about route that also took him thru another neighboring town, Normal. Charlie admitted later, after that bus ride, and my walking him over a coupla square miles that he was slightly wrong. I met him at the station -- gee my first fan! He was short and dark and keen-eyed. I started at home, disappointed, and he handed me his business card, with: "You must be Tucker?" I wonder how he knew? We walked about town (he was a tireless, snappy walker...is he yet?), looked at the sights, sat on the court-house railing and gossipped. That is, he gossipped and I listened, open-mouthed probably, to the delights of the big city and its numberless fans. I also recall picking up some "not for publication" scandal from him but I cannot remember now what it was. Then we went over to the theatre where I was working at the time and saw the show, on me. He afterwards said that he had already seen the picture, a Bette Davis drammer, but hesitated telling me then for fear of hurting my feelings. Hah! After a few hours he departed for Chicago, with promises to come back in the future. We have never met since. ------------------- My second fan visitor was William Dellenback of Chicago. Bill, as I remember now, was attending the University then, and also publishing with some other fans, Chicago's first fanzine, the "Fourteen Leaflet". It created a bit of a flurry because it was sewed together instead of stapled, and seemed to fit into the staple war then raging. We too had corresponded a good deal; and then one Sunday in 1935 (date unknown) Bill dropped in for a half-hour chat. His folks had been joyriding about the state and he managed to route them thru Bloomington. I recall nothing of our visit, mostly, I believe, because I was working at the time he called and the theatre manager had been very nasty about letting him into the projection booth. We were both embarrassed about it. He soon left, and we never met again. ------------------------- My third visitor came in 1937. Who he was I do not know to this day. Only the fact that he carried a copy of the Weinbaum Memorial volume and some other stf books under his arm made me believe he was a fan at all. He seemed familiar with the magazines, and the letter sections in them. I think he claimed to live in Evanston, Illinois. He about Paul Freehafer's build, dark hair and glasses, and had difficulty in talking. Very seedy in appearance, he said he was hitch-hiking form his home in Evanston to St. Louis to visit relatives, and thence was going coastward. He "heard of a fan named Ackerman out there." After putting the finger on me for a touch, and leaving with me the Weinbaum Memorial volume as "security" he departed, never to be seen around these diggings since. However, a few months after he left he wrote me from Evanston demanding "payment" for the book! He named a price, so after a letter or two in exchange, I paid the balance between the amount he touched me for and the amount he asked for the book...and I am still wondering who he is/was! (Next page.) ---------------------------
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