Forrest J Ackerman's NorWesCon Reminiscence
1950 -- NorWesCon, Portland[edit]
by Forrest J Ackerman, 1989
Donald Day, now dead, was the chairman, a fan to whom all fandom and prodom are indebted for his pioneering volume of the index to science fiction magazines from inception to 1950. GoH was legendary gentleman editor Anthony Boucher. 250 of us were thrilled, 21 years after Fritz Lang rocketed us the the movie Moon in 1929, to reach Destination Moon in technicolor via the imaginations of Robert Heinlein, Chesley Bonestell, and George Pal. A memorable preview. L. Ron Hubbard's revolutionary "Dianetics" had broken big in the mundane world and was a hot topic pro & con in the sf world. I honestly don't recall if there was anything negative said about Hubbard's discovery, but I do know I shared a lecture with Theodore Sturgeon on what positive experiences I had had with it at the time. I believe it was at this convention that the feisty Freckle Face of Fandom first appeared, the girl destined to save Star Trek, Betty Jo Wells, if memory serves me, in Navy uniform, for many years now known as Bjo Trimble. Rick Sneary, Erle Korshak, Bob Tucker, E. Everett Evans (Big Heart Award) , editors Howard Brown and the late Beatrice 'Bea' Mahaffey, were among the names present that are still recognizable today. Ted Sturgeon was emcee at the costume ball. A small but very pleasant con.
| Fanhistory | 1950 |
| This is a fanhistory page. Please add more detail. |
