Difference between revisions of "Jack Speer"

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* Besides writing ''[[Up to Now]]'', he developed a system of [[Numerical Fandoms]], which was later expanded by other fan historians such as [[Robert Silverberg]] and [[Ted White]].  
 
* Besides writing ''[[Up to Now]]'', he developed a system of [[Numerical Fandoms]], which was later expanded by other fan historians such as [[Robert Silverberg]] and [[Ted White]].  
 
* He followed ''[[Up to Now]]'' with [[Fancyclopedia 1]] (updated in the late 50s by [[Dick Eney]] as [[Fancyclopedia 2]]).  [[Harry Warner, Jr.]], also a fan historian said that Speer was "the first to stress ([[fandom]]'s) subcultural aspects.  
 
* He followed ''[[Up to Now]]'' with [[Fancyclopedia 1]] (updated in the late 50s by [[Dick Eney]] as [[Fancyclopedia 2]]).  [[Harry Warner, Jr.]], also a fan historian said that Speer was "the first to stress ([[fandom]]'s) subcultural aspects.  
* Single-handedly, he made fandom's [[AJ]]s something entirely different from the [[mundane amateur journalism]] groups"  by introducing the "[[LoC|mailing comment]]" in the 3rd issue of [[FAPA]].
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* Single-handedly, he made fandom's [[AJ]]s something entirely different from the [[mundane]] [[ajay|amateur journalism]] groups"  by introducing the "[[LoC|mailing comment]]" in the 3rd issue of [[FAPA]].
 
* At [[Chicon I]], the second [[Worldcon]], Speer distributed a set of [[science fiction]] songs he had written, now called [[filk]], as the ''[[Science Fiction Song Sheet]]''. They were reprinted under the pseudonym [[John Bristol]] in ''[[Xenofilkia]]'', as "Various Songs", and "Twilight Prelude".
 
* At [[Chicon I]], the second [[Worldcon]], Speer distributed a set of [[science fiction]] songs he had written, now called [[filk]], as the ''[[Science Fiction Song Sheet]]''. They were reprinted under the pseudonym [[John Bristol]] in ''[[Xenofilkia]]'', as "Various Songs", and "Twilight Prelude".
 
* Also at Chicon, Speer and [[Milt Rothman]] suggested a [[costume party]] or [[masquerade]] which is still part of [[Worldcon]] today.
 
* Also at Chicon, Speer and [[Milt Rothman]] suggested a [[costume party]] or [[masquerade]] which is still part of [[Worldcon]] today.

Revision as of 22:16, 20 July 2020

(August 8, 1920 -- June 28, 2008)

John Bristol Speer was one of the fathers of fandom and perhaps the first really important fanhistorian, writing Up to Now: A History of Science Fiction Fandom as well as the first Fancyclopedia in 1944. In 2004, he was Fan GoH at Noreascon 4 in Boston.

Jack Speer became became a fan around 1935 and was responsible for a long series of firsts:

Originally from Oklahoma, where he started reading sf at in 1928 at age 8. He found fandom through the letter columns of Wonder in the early 30s where he started a correspondence with Don Wollheim. He lived in DC during the War and later moved to the Pacific Northwest before retiring to Albuquerque.

By inventing the John Bristol persona he perpetrated one of the more successful hoaxes in the history of fandom. He was also known by the nicknames Juffus and the Hily Magnified Woggle-Bug

Winner of the First Fandom Hall of Fame award. He was brought to Ditto 14/FanHistoriCon 11 by the Don Ford Fund.

His fanzines included A, Allegory, Antaios, Avalon, Demeter, Deukalion, Eos, Epimetheus, Hesper, Oduooeus, Olympus, One Fingers Number Four Fingers Number One (with F. T. Laney, Charles Burbee, and Walt Leibscher), Phosphor, Photon, Science Fiction Forum, Stefnews, The Stefnews (with John Bristol), Stf and Nonsense (with Dan MacPhail) Sustaining Program, Synapse.

He was a member of FAPA (and was a leading member of the Brain Trust) and served in many offices.

Articles about Speer:

Jack was born in Comanche, Oklahoma. He became a lawyer and after WWII, he began practicing law in Washington State, where he was active in the Democratic Party and served a term in the State House of Representatives. He later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He continued to practice law and served two terms as the judge of the Bernalillo County Small Claims Court.

While in New Mexico he was one of the founders of Bubonicon (though he protested the name, see Bubonicon 2) and was memorialized at Bubonicon 40.

His photograph appears on page 128 of Harry Warner, Jr.'s All Our Yesterdays (1969) and on page 19 of Warner's A Wealth of Fable (1992).

An obituary by Jon D. Swartz appeared in New Series #18, 3rd quarter, 2008, issue of Scientifiction: The First Fandom Report. Speer was also the subject of a Founding Members article by Swartz in the July, 2017 National Fantasy Fan.

Reading:

Fanzines and Apazines:

Awards, Honors and GoHships:


Person 19202008
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