Ethel Lindsay

From fancyclopedia.org
(Redirected from Small Sister Lindsay)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Ethel Lindsay (1950s). Courtesy of Rob Hansen

(March 23, 1921 – June 16, 1996)

Ethel Lindsay was a UK fanwriter and editor. She was a member of Operation Fantast, OMPA (from its second mailing), the Romiley Fan Veterans & Scottish Dancing Society, the London Circle, the BSFA, IPSO and the Science Fiction Club of London, and the proud holder of a Cry Letterhack Card. Rob Hansen in Then described her as "one of the most active British fans ever". She was nicknamed Small Sister Lindsay since she was short and a Nursing Sister [Registered Nurse].

Lindsay had been reading sf since the age of ten but did not enter fandom until 1951 when she was 30. Her first contact was through Operation Fantast and she remained an active member until its demise. She joined Glasgow's New Lands SF Club in 1952 after seeing an advertisement for the group and a letter from its secretary Matt Elder in the first issue of the prozine Nebula (Autumn 1952). Her first convention was Supermancon in 1954 where she was part of the committee.

Before attending her first meeting of the New Lands group, Lindsay was alarmed to read an article on them in a local newspaper, "Spacemen Short of Cash", saying, "Recent recruits include a number of women members, many of them housewives. One of the newest fans is Sister Ethel Lindsay of Glasgow Ophthalmic Institution." She later said, "Since that day I have carefully omitted the title and hospital from the address in my fan correspondence ... The first thing fandom nearly did to me was lose me my job. I only quit quaking 3 months later" (Scottishe 2, March 1955). Of the meeting she said: 

I remember going home clutching a copy of Slant that they gave me. It was a good job I was then in my thirties or I might never have gone back because I found these four men pretty shy of me... and found myself having to do most of the talking. Fortunately I could think of plenty of questions to ask them (Letter to Rob Hansen, quoted in Then).

Lindsay found her second meeting at the Page household more welcoming, in large part due to the presence of Margaret Page. There had been no other women, housewives or otherwise, at her first meeting; they were seemingly a creation of the reporter.

Lindsay moved to Surbiton in Surrey (about 15 miles south-west of central London) in 1955 and remained there until 1978. She was a member of the London Circle 1955–59 (including serving as President) and then a founder and Chairman of the Science Fiction Club of London (1959/60?–68) and later secretary. She hosted open house meetings of the SFCoL at her Surrey flat in "Courage House". She was secretary of the successful London in '65 Worldcon bid (see Loncon II). She was on the Loncon, Cytricon, LXICON and RePetercon committees

Lindsay published the long-running fanzines Scottishe and Haverings, and for years was the UK agent for SF Chronicle. She won the Skyrack poll for best fan writer, and was involved in the Joan W. Carr hoax.

Lindsay won TAFF in 1962, defeating Eddie Jones to become the second female TAFF winner and the first to use funds for the journey (after American Lee Hoffman in the 1956 TAFF Race), and duly published a full trip report The Lindsay Report. In Orion 28 (January 1962) she was described as "in touch with around 250 fans all over the world, writing on average 10 letters per week" and was acclaimed (presumably by Ella Parker): 

Altogether Ethel is certainly one of Britain's Top Three Fans in activity, output and popularity, she's an entertaining conversationalist, a good dancer (Scottish or ballroom, though she performs the former more readily when she is, to use her own words, slightly puddled) and could be the first genuine, onehundredpercent, kilt-swinging Scottish fan to go to America.

In 1978 and on retirement she returned to Scotland, living in Carnoustie near Dundee.

Fanzines and Apazines

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

Links

Person 1921—1996
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.

Retrieved from "https://fancyclopedia.org/index.php?title=Ethel_Lindsay&oldid=212593"