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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 9, Winter 1945-1946
Page 231
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 231 ber of fans urged into activity by the concept of the Science Fiction League. Today many are still well known in the field, though until their appearance in SFL columns they had never been heard from. As has been remarked, the greater part of the league roster was deadwood. Typical of many such short-lived locals was the Newark branch, organized in May, 1935 by Robert Bahr, Charles Purcell and Sam Moskowitz, and later augmented by John Maderas, William Weiner and Otto Schuck. Little of consequence was accomplished in the three or four meetings held, and the group finally broke up because of a controversy as to what type of activity to engage in. At no time did the members think of contacting the nearby New York or Jersey City chapters, oddly enough, and thus attain some share of mutual progress. Undoubtedly the outstanding chapter of the time was that in Chicago. Authors and fans alike were represented on its roster, names such as Walter Dennis, Jack Darrow, William Dillenback, Harry Boosel, Florence Reider, Paul McDermott, Milton J. Latzer, Howard Funk, Neil de Jack, Al Fedor and the three Binder brothers being prominent. The reports of their meetings printed in Wonder Stories eclipsed in interest those of all others. Moreover, they published an official organ called The Fourteen Leaflet, which appeared regularly from November, 1935 to the Spring of 1937. The Chicago chapter planned, during the summer of 1935, to send delegates to the national SFL headquarters in New York---a meeting which would, had it materialized as planned, have been in effect the first national convention in fandom. Charles D. Hornig was informed that Jack Darrow, William Dillenback and Otto Binder would arrive in New York on the evening of June 28, 1935. In honor of the occasion a meeting was arranged at the Wonder Stories offices, to which Hornig invited many of the most important local science-fictionists of the day. At the eleventh house word was received that the Chicago delegation had been delayed, and could not arrived as planned; Hornig decided to hold the meeting despite this fact---a wise decision, since it proved to be far and away the finest held up to that date. Present were Philip J. Bartel, Frank B. Long, Jr., Theodore Lutwin, Laurence Manning, George G. Clark, Irving Kosow, Herbert Leventman, A. L. Selikowitz, Conrad H. Ruppert, Julius Schwartz, John B. Michel, Donald A. Wollheim, Herbert Goudket, Kenneth Sterling and Julius Unger. The Chicago trio arrived the next day, which they spent in company with Hornig, Weisinger and Schwartz; their thousand-mile trip was one of the most interesting news tidbits to circulate in fandom at the time, and went well with the chapter's reputation as the leading SFL group of its day. As leading members moved from the Chicago area, however, the chapter gradually lost the nucleus of its activity, and when the Gernsback regime collapsed in 1936 the beginning of its end was marked. Dissatisfaction with the rejuvenated league under Standard Publications' banner was a possible cause of severance of all SFL ties in 1937, when the group announced themselves as the Chicago Science Fiction Club in the final number of The Fourteen Leaflet. Soon meetings were abandoned entirely, and members were heard from only on an individual basis thereafter. The Brooklyn chapter, meanwhile, though boasting less than ten members, blossomed forth smartly under Clark's live-wire guidance. Together, these fans produced The Brooklyn Reporter, whose first issue was mimeographed in February, 1935. In all-around interest it had more appeal than any extant publication in the field save Fantasy Magazine. Basically it was a primer for the neophyte fan, and truly to the uninitiated an object of fascination, though at the time Wollheim and other comparative veterans poo-poohed its "stale news". The Reporter featured biographies of science-fiction celebrities, reviews of current fantastic stories, quiz columns, hints to collectors, etc.; to these were later added reviews of books, news items and longer articles. Before the magazine's five-issue life was over it had added Selikowitz, Widner and Wollheim to its staff, sent copies
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 231 ber of fans urged into activity by the concept of the Science Fiction League. Today many are still well known in the field, though until their appearance in SFL columns they had never been heard from. As has been remarked, the greater part of the league roster was deadwood. Typical of many such short-lived locals was the Newark branch, organized in May, 1935 by Robert Bahr, Charles Purcell and Sam Moskowitz, and later augmented by John Maderas, William Weiner and Otto Schuck. Little of consequence was accomplished in the three or four meetings held, and the group finally broke up because of a controversy as to what type of activity to engage in. At no time did the members think of contacting the nearby New York or Jersey City chapters, oddly enough, and thus attain some share of mutual progress. Undoubtedly the outstanding chapter of the time was that in Chicago. Authors and fans alike were represented on its roster, names such as Walter Dennis, Jack Darrow, William Dillenback, Harry Boosel, Florence Reider, Paul McDermott, Milton J. Latzer, Howard Funk, Neil de Jack, Al Fedor and the three Binder brothers being prominent. The reports of their meetings printed in Wonder Stories eclipsed in interest those of all others. Moreover, they published an official organ called The Fourteen Leaflet, which appeared regularly from November, 1935 to the Spring of 1937. The Chicago chapter planned, during the summer of 1935, to send delegates to the national SFL headquarters in New York---a meeting which would, had it materialized as planned, have been in effect the first national convention in fandom. Charles D. Hornig was informed that Jack Darrow, William Dillenback and Otto Binder would arrive in New York on the evening of June 28, 1935. In honor of the occasion a meeting was arranged at the Wonder Stories offices, to which Hornig invited many of the most important local science-fictionists of the day. At the eleventh house word was received that the Chicago delegation had been delayed, and could not arrived as planned; Hornig decided to hold the meeting despite this fact---a wise decision, since it proved to be far and away the finest held up to that date. Present were Philip J. Bartel, Frank B. Long, Jr., Theodore Lutwin, Laurence Manning, George G. Clark, Irving Kosow, Herbert Leventman, A. L. Selikowitz, Conrad H. Ruppert, Julius Schwartz, John B. Michel, Donald A. Wollheim, Herbert Goudket, Kenneth Sterling and Julius Unger. The Chicago trio arrived the next day, which they spent in company with Hornig, Weisinger and Schwartz; their thousand-mile trip was one of the most interesting news tidbits to circulate in fandom at the time, and went well with the chapter's reputation as the leading SFL group of its day. As leading members moved from the Chicago area, however, the chapter gradually lost the nucleus of its activity, and when the Gernsback regime collapsed in 1936 the beginning of its end was marked. Dissatisfaction with the rejuvenated league under Standard Publications' banner was a possible cause of severance of all SFL ties in 1937, when the group announced themselves as the Chicago Science Fiction Club in the final number of The Fourteen Leaflet. Soon meetings were abandoned entirely, and members were heard from only on an individual basis thereafter. The Brooklyn chapter, meanwhile, though boasting less than ten members, blossomed forth smartly under Clark's live-wire guidance. Together, these fans produced The Brooklyn Reporter, whose first issue was mimeographed in February, 1935. In all-around interest it had more appeal than any extant publication in the field save Fantasy Magazine. Basically it was a primer for the neophyte fan, and truly to the uninitiated an object of fascination, though at the time Wollheim and other comparative veterans poo-poohed its "stale news". The Reporter featured biographies of science-fiction celebrities, reviews of current fantastic stories, quiz columns, hints to collectors, etc.; to these were later added reviews of books, news items and longer articles. Before the magazine's five-issue life was over it had added Selikowitz, Widner and Wollheim to its staff, sent copies
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