Alva Rogers
(January 17, 1923 – July 8, 1982)
Alva C. Rogers was a West Coast fan, artist, and the author of A Requiem for Astounding. He was nominated for a Retro Hugo for Best Fan Artist in 1996. He co-chaired the 1968 Worldcon, Baycon.
His FGoH speech, "Fandom As A Way of Life?" at the 1962 Westercon is a classic. With Dick Eney, he reprinted Francis Towner Laney's Ah! Sweet Idiocy! for OMPA. He published Parnassus with Art Saha and James Kepner. He published Bixel and Bixeltype for OMPA (the latter with Dick Eney).
He was a member of LASFS and the Little Men (having served in several offices in both), as well as in the Golden Gate Futurians. He was one of the leaders of the unsuccessful Burlingame in '66 and Burlingame in '67 Westercon bids as well as the San Francisco in '64 Worldcon bid (which brought Pacificon II to the Bay Area.)
Rogers, a committee member of the 1964 Worldcon, Pacificon II, was one of the key players in the Breendoggle that resulted in banning Walter Breen from the convention.
Born in New Mexico, Alva later lived in Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area. He was married for many years to Sidonie Rogers, whom he wed in 1947. She wrote about him, their wedding and early years together for Rhodomagnetic Digest 22 (July 1962). They had three children and divorced in 1971.
In the late ’70s, Alva married Andi Shechter, who was 30 years his junior.
- Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
- “Fandom as a Way of Life,” Alva Rogers' Fan Guest of Honor Speech at the Westercon XV Banquet, June 30, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, from Shangri-L'Affaires 62 (November 1962, p. 6).
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- Bixel (for OMPA)
- Bixeltype (for OMPA with Dick Eney)
- FTL and ASI
- Parnassus (with Art Saha and James Kepner)
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1962 -- Westercon 15
- 1977 -- Invisible Little Man Award
- 1996 -- 1946 Best Fan Artist Retro Hugo
“Cthulhu” by Alva Rogers, cover art for The Acolyte 9 (Winter 1945). Heritage Auctions sold the original ink drawing on April 25, 2023, for $25,000.
| Person | 1923—1982 |
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