Battle Creek Plan
A plan for managing the N3F.
The N3F started out with no constitution, and the one drawn up was cumbersome and rejected by the membership when it was submitted. A constitution was finally adopted, but the machinery remained cumbersome, and the negligible results for the early labor plus the difficult requirements for nomination (all under the shadow of the stress of war) caused insufficient candidates to file to fill the necessary offices when the first administration lapsed.
E. E. Evans, Plancom chairman of the first year, got a new set of officers by Blitzkrieg methods; but before the organization could gather momentum again Evans, the new President, was forced to drop activity. VP Tucker turned the presidency over to Evans' neighbor (at the Slan Shack in Battle Creek, Michigan), Al Ashley. It being conceded that the old Constitution was unworkable, Ashley planned to carry out Evans' idea of a pyramiding state-regional-national scheme with many officers (the "Battle Creek Plan") including as "citizens" all who could be called fans, while Harry Warner spoke for an organization with few officials and stiff membership requirements.
A wrangle over whether the directorate should pick one plan for submission to the membership or have a vote on both led to stalemate, again the terms of officers ended with no replacements, and the N3F lapsed. In the fall of '43, at the height of Cosmic Circle furor, Ashley questioned the Board members with a view to revising the group under an emergency for-the-duration constitution; this was realized next year, with Walt Dunkelberger in the Presidential chair. Elections were resumed in 1947.
| From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959 |
| See Interregnum. |
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