Raym Washington

From Fancyclopedia 3
Revision as of 14:13, 15 March 2023 by Bee Ostrowsky (talk | contribs) (adding his own epitaph; moving photo to right side to preserve poem layout)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Raym Washington.

(November 18, 1926 – November 16, 1959)

Raymond Willis “Raym” Washington, Jr., was a teenaged early Florida fan who was connected with Claude Degler’s Cosmic Circle — he was one of the few important fans who fell for Degler’s mishegoss. He used the publishing house Dixie Press, was a member of FAPA and published The Science Fiction Savant.

According to Harry Warner, Raym's younger sister, Mary Helen Washington, was also a fan. With Degler, they held the Live Oak Conference in early 1943.

Raym married Sally Hill Roberts in 1953. He died in 1959 of cancer.

He wrote himself an epitaph in 1944, in Rosebud #1:

If Raym should die, think only this of him:
That there's some congregation, large or small,
That is forever fandom; for the whim
Of fellow fans was his delight, and all
His fanfriends should morn much, and weep aloud
Compose sad odes, and cry into their cloaks,
And loud lament above his pastel shroud
(Before they found his suicide a hoax---)
For him, these fans should carve an Epitaph
That reads: "Here lies a science fiction fan,
Who, fearful of a horrid aftermath,
But with a stout heart, dismissed the world of man
To roam the Star Flecked Cosmos, and to fly,
And sprinkle stars upon the purple sky."

Fanzines and Apazines:



Person 19261959
This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc. See Standards for People and The Naming of Names.