Martha Beck
(Oct. 1, 1929 -- March 13, 2002)
Martha E. Manos Beck, longtime Chicago-area fan, was an artist and a musician. The warm-hearted and hospitable Martha, a mainstay of All-Night Fandom, would frequently throw her hotel room open at conventions for casual coffee gatherings after most room parties had died down.
Born in Paducah, Kentucky, Martha married Henry Cabot Beck, Sr. in 1949, and didn't discover until after they were married that he also read SF. They settled in Gary, Indiana, and had two children, Irene and Henry. Hank and Martha became associated with Chicago fandom in 1937. She was a member of the committee at Chicon III where she ran the N3F suite, a job she undertook at many Worldcons. She spearheaded the Hevelin to Holland fan fund, and The Kemp Fund to bring Earl Kemp to Chicon IV. Martha was one of the League of Lecherous Ladies.
She was an associate member of First Fandom and active in the N3F. She ran for TAFF in 1985 as write-in candidate after her candidacy was rejected by TAFF administrators, collateral damage in the TAFF Wars.
In 1992, the Becks retired to Payson, Arizona.
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1974 -- ChambanaCon 4
- 1979 -- BYOB-Con 9
- 1984 -- Genuine ConFusion
- 1986 -- InConJunction VI
- 1988 -- Archon 12
- 1990 -- Windycon XVII
- 2002 -- First Fandom Hall of Fame, Archon Hall of Fame Award: Grand Master (posthumous)
| Person | 1929—2002 |
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