Peter J. Vorzimer

Peter Vorzimmer, in his 1954 high school senior portrait

(May 7, 1937 – January 15, 1995)

Pete Vorzimer (Peter James Vorzimmer), aka Vorzy, a teenaged LA-area fan active in the 1950s, is best remembered as founder of the letter-based apa, The Cult. The Cult gave his name to an annual Peter J. Vorzimer Award for fuggheadedness in the apa.

He credited Jimmy Clemons with introducing him to the world of Science Fiction and LASFS, which he joined on December 3, 1953; he attended Westercon 6 but remembered a later 1953 meetup in San Francisco as the life-changing experience that would lead to his later work as publicity director for the Gemini Space Program at NASA. While there, he interviewed Neil Armstrong and Wernher von Braun, and began a lifelong friendship with Michael Collins.

Vorzimer killed Bertha Smith in an accident in 1954 while she was crossing Sunset Boulevard. In his notes for an unpublished autobiography, he wrote that her death, “though she had made some negligent contribution, cost me my driver’s license for one year. It also took the wind out of my senior year of high school. My lack of wheels forced me to concentrate on my writing skills—particularly my editorship of an amateur Science Fiction magazine ABstract (a fanzine, as they were called).”

He previously attempted to start NAPA, but despite a series of fan gatherings, the NAPAcons, it never came out. Vorzimer attempted to call Eighth Fandom into existence, although some fanhistorians accredit him with creating a focal point for Seventh Fandom instead.

Vorzimer is also remembered for the Haircream incident at SFCon, the 1954 Worldcon. He gafiated in 1958 when he went overseas for graduate school.

He was married three times. His obituary acknowledged four children, but he documented having had 14 more with women other than his wives.

• Obituary
• “Fandom’s Unforgotten Fugghead”, a reminiscence by Terry Carr in Void 28 (February 1962, p. 33).
• Tales of the Living Legend, a blog about him written by his eldest son

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Ha! (with Tom Piper) [1953–?]
• ABstract [1954–56]

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Person

1937—1995

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