John Berry
(See John D. Berry for the U.S. fan and typographer.)
(August 4, 1926 – November 25, 2011)
John E. Berry (AKA Goon Bleary and The Irish John Berry) discovered fandom while serving as an English policeman (a sergeant specializing in fingerprinting) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He had come across Walt Willis's name and the title of Willis's fanzine while scrounging sf books, and contacted Willis to make an appointment to meet him at Oblique House. Willis invited him to attend meetings of Irish Fandom (The Wheels of IF) and Berry became active, along with Willis, Bob Shaw, and James White. (His English and police background made for some little awkwardness in the Belfast of the Troubles, but by and large IF transcended that.) He was known for playing ghoodminton with an exceedingly physical and violent style.
He ran for in the 1958 TAFF Race, losing to Ron Bennett in a four-way race, but the following year was Fan GoH at Detention, the Detroit Worldcon, and was supported with a special Bring Berry to Detroit fan fund. (His 130,000-word trip report, The Goon Goes West, came from that trip.)
With George Locke, he founded the APA IPSO in 1960, the same year he won the Skyrack poll for Best Fan Writer. He was a member of SAPS from 1958–68. Although extremely active through 1962, his activity began to peter out and by 1968, following the publication with ATom of Harlequin, he gafiated, only becoming revenant in the 1980s.
He was married to Diane Berry. He died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
- Agent Provacative [2006]
- The Bleary Eyes
- Cloche by Night [1950s]
- Complete Faan [1958]
- The Damned Patrol [mid-60s]
- Fables of Irish Fandom [1998-99] (with Ken Cheslin)
- Galah Performance [1982]
- Harlequin [1964]
- The Horsed Vassal [2004]
- Ipso Facto [1961-62]
- The Loneliness of the Long Distance Goat Herder
- Motley [1957-62] (for IPSO)
- Oneshots
- Out of Reitsch [2002]
- Pot Pourri [1958-68] (for SAPS)
- Retribution [1956-60]
- Ron Bennett Appreciation [1958] (with Arthur Thomson for OMPA)
- Robbery with Violets [2000]] (with Ken Cheslin)
- This Goon for Hire [1956] (one-shot with Chuck Harris for FAPA)
- The Thomson Saga [1957] (for OMPA)
- Veritas [1956–59] (with Arthur Thomson for OMPA)
- Wholly Berry
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1959 — Detention, Bring Berry to Detroit
- 1960 — Skyrack poll for Best Fan Writer
| Person | 1926—2011 |
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