Dean A. Grennell
(November 1, 1923 – April 10, 2004)
Dean A. Grennell, a fan from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, sometimes called dag, the Good Man and Socrates Smith, was active in the 1950s and ’60s. He edited the fanzines Grue and La Banshee and was a member of Wisconsin Fandom. He was "warm-hearted, great sense of humor, strong family man, universally beloved in fandom. Seven children. A very solid citizen...widely admired" and "hearty of spirit, fun, everybody's friend."
He ran the Eastercon, with his wife, Jean Grennell, and the first Wiscon. He owned the automobile Jazzy-Belle, had Mafia Press as his publishing house and was a partner in Tentacles Across the Sea. He attended Illwiscon. He was a close friend of Robert Bloch, Robert Silverberg and Redd Boggs. He was a member of FAPA and of the FATE Tape.
He was nominated for the 1956 Best Fanzine Hugo for Grue.
He grew up in the small town of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, and was in the Army Air Corps during World War II. In the 1950s, he became active in fandom. He was married to Jean Grennell; they had seven children. In the 1960s, he moved to LA and was a member of The Petards.
His best-known fanzine was Grue, begun in 1953. The title Grue ("The Fan's Magazine") was a play on words for a popular men's magazine True, "The Man's Magazine." He was one of the biggest of the BNFs of the ’50s — one fan later described him as "an adult among children," although he was initially affiliated with Phony 7th Fandom. He was a fanartist, as well.
Grennell coined a number of fannish neologisms, including croggle and grotch, and helped popularize faunch. He is responsible for Crottled Greeps, too.
In mundane life, Grennell was a tech writer and an authority on firearms, who authored many books on the subject, as well as being managing editor of Gun World magazine. He moved to California to take that job in 1966.
- Aw [1950s]
- Binx [1966]
- Bleah [late 60s]
- Bleen [1954-60] (for FAPA)
- Chips [1954] (with Robert Bloch)
- Filler [1953] (as Art Wesley)
- F'ISM [late 50s]
- The Fond Du Lac Occasional Zwilnick
- Golden Apple [1960-61]
- Grue [1950s-70s]
- Hoog [1950s]
- La Banshee [mid-50s]
- Le Gruesome Zombie [1955] (for FAPA with Bob Tucker)
- Qabal [late 50s]
- Sarandipity [1967] (with Ron Ellik)
- Toto [1950s] (one of many editors)
- Xenoblast [mid-50s]
| Person | 1923—2004 |
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