Noreen Shaw

(June 6, 1930 – May 25, 2005)

Noreen Shaw (née Kane, then Falasca) was a Cleveland fan who chaired the Cleveland in '55 Worldcon bid; she co-chaired the subsequent Clevention with her first husband, Nick Falasca. She was a founding member of The Terrans.

The Falascas were among the founders of WSFS, Inc., and were involved in the general turmoil. They published Who Is This Man? to expose a person they belived to be a fraudster posing as a BNF and running for the WSFS, Inc., Board. Later, when they were forced out by George Nims Raybin, Frank Dietz and Dave Kyle, the New York fans who ultimately controlled WSFS, Inc., they went into vigorous opposition to it. They published Fandom's Burden (as well as issues #2 and #3 which were titled Son of Fandom's Burden and Fandom's Burden's Last Ride) and were right in the middle of the wars over WSFS, Inc..

After Clevention, she divorced Shaw, resumed her maiden name, moved to New York, and, on July 17, 1959, married editor Larry Shaw with whom she had two sons. She was a member of the (Second) Futurian Society of New York. The Shaws were founders of the Fanoclasts. With Larry, she wrote Other People's Mail. The Shaws moved to Los Angeles in 1969 (leaving their bedroom set and a cat to Ted and Robin White).

The Shaws were nominated for the 1962 Best Fanzine Hugo for their fanzine Axe. Other fanzines included Devil's Motorboat, and Ice Age.

In the introduction to the online version of Fancyclopedia II, Dick Eney reports "Then Noreen Shaw kicked up a fuss and got Fancyclopedia II thrown off the Hugo ballot the year it was eligible, on the grounds that I was on the Con committee at the time. (No, I never did forgive her; would you have?)..."

That ultimately caused a change in the WSFS Constitution to create a special Hugo Subcommittee, allowing most of the concom Hugo eligibility.

Early in her fannish career, Noreen wrote poetry for fanzines. In Gambit 30 (December 1958, p. 13), she wrote:

And now to a subject that touched me deeply. I refer to Redd Boggs' quote in #25, "Who are the Falascas? Could Mrs. F be the lady poet Ellison used to feature in his rag four or five years ago?"

Mr. Boggs, suh, there are certain things no gentleman would ever discuss about a lady's past. I mean, there is such a thing as honor among fans and all that. I have tried to the best of my ability to go straight and live down my errors, but every time I think people have forgotten, along comes some his­torian who says, in loud ringing tones, "Noreen Falasca used to be a *lady poet* for Ellison." I do, however, thank Redd very kindly for calling me a lady. That's about 100 degrees better than most of what I've been called lately and it makes me feel glad all over. Now that it's out in the open about my Dinwiddie past, I ask all of you to forgive and forget and let me start over.

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Axe
• Devil's Motorboat
• Fandom's Burden
• Ice Age
• Other People's Mail
• Who Is This Man?

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Person

1930—2005

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