Torcon
The sixth Worldcon, the first in Canada, Torcon was held July 3–5, 1948, at the RAI Purdy Studios in Toronto, ON. (It was, in fact, the first Worldcon outside the United States, but “Canada can hardly be counted as a separate country,” Dick Eney wrote in Fancyclopedia 2, dismissing Torcon as an “international” event.)
GoH: Robert Bloch. FGoH: Bob Tucker. (It was the first to have a fan GoH.) It was chaired by Ned McKeown.
Other committee members: Bill Grant.
The hastily contrived bid for Toronto in 1948 was chosen in the 1948 Worldcon Site Selection at Philcon, defeating a bid from Milwaukee in 1948; it was sponsored by the Derelicts (the Toronto Science Fiction Society).
The complete talks at Torcon were wire recorded and later printed in the Torcon Report. Its progress reports were issued as the fanzine, Torque, edited by Beak Taylor.
Milt Rothman produced Science Fiction Catches Up with Soap Opera, featuring James A. Williams, Milt Rothman, and Josie Benderavage.
George Young debuted the propeller beanie.
In putting together a short documentary about Torcon [The Box, The Con, And The Handsomest Man in Fandom, (2025)], film-maker Ian Johnston used personal accounts and autographed programs to compile a list of more than 100 Torcon attendees (of a possible 137). The list includes two reporters, a pet dog, and one partial name. Here is the list:
Torcon attendees: Forrest J Ackerman - Jack Agnew - Martin Alger – Lloyd Alpaugh - George Bain (Globe reporter) - Dr. Charles L. Barrett – Josie Benderavage – Al Betts - Robert Bloch – John Blyler - Jean Bogert – Redd Boggs - Jack Bowie-Reed – Ed Bierly - Sam Bowne - Manse Brackney - Tim Buck - Alastair Cameron – Hal Cheney - Abe Childs - Ron Conium - Ed Counts – Paul Cox - Leslie A. Croutch - Lyell Crane - Greg Cranston - Ron Christensen – Frank Dietz - Neil De Jack - Moe Diner - Jack Doherty - William Grant - David Hageman - Chandler Davis - Ted Dikty - Gordon R. Dickson - Lloyd Eshbach - E. Everett Evans - Mike Fern - Don Ford - Richard Frank - Phil Froeder - Joe Gross - James ‘Rusty’ Hevelin - Fred Hurter Jr. - Ed Kuss - David Hageman - Don Hutchison - Celia Keller - Dr. David H. Keller - Joe Kennedy - Roger G. Knuth - Erle Korshak - Frank Kerkof - David Kyle - Earl Leeth - A. W. Ludlam - Andy Lyon - Sam McCoy - David MacInnes - Pam MacInnes - Bob Madle - “Maitland” of New Era Publishing - Ned McKeown - Steve Mechette - Judith Merrill - John Millard - Harry B. Moore - Sam Moskowitz - Chad Oliver - Don Orlinger - Alex Osteroff - R. K. Pavlat - Art Peck - Alfred Prime - Arthur Rapp - Frederick Pohl - Paul D. Revey - J. C. Richards - Milton Rothman - Ollie Saari - Joe Schaumberger - Ben Singer - Jack Sloan - George O. Smith - Ray Short - Paul Spencer - Goldberg Soda (pet dog) - Norm Stanley - Toronto Star reporter - Edwin Stirmweis - Will Sykora - Russell Swanson - Beak Taylor - Dorothy Les Tina - Ossie Train - Bob Tucker - George Young - Harold P. Wakefield - Paul Walton - Mari-Beth Wheeler - Jim Williams - Arthur Wilson - Ted White - Gwen White - Donald Wollheim - Elsie B. Wollheim - George Young.
The 1949 Site Selection was held there.
- Lloyd Eshbach's Torcon I Reminiscence.
- “Torcon Memories” by Leslie Croutch.
- “Torcon Daze” by Art Rapp.
- Torcon I publications and photos on fanac.org.
| From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959 |
| from Convention Torcon, marked by the first appearance of the helicopter beanie and zapgun, was put on by the Toronto (Canada) Derelicts over the July 4 weekend. (Patriotic Amerifans celebrated Independence Day and defied the tyranny of King George.) Tucker presented his Little Kinsey Report (which Bloch later parodied), Wollheim defended sex (on prozine covers, that is) and Doc Keller plugged for science-boosting stf. Oh yes -- and Rothman introduced a film on atomic physics, with results told under ZAP-GUN. |
| Philcon | Worldcon - Bidding - Hugos | Cinvention |
| first | Canadian Worldcons | Torcon II |
| 1948 |
| This is a convention page. Please extend it by adding information about the convention, including dates, GoHs, convention chairman, locale, sponsoring organization, external links to convention pages, awards given, the program, notable events, anecdotes, pictures, scans of publications, pictures of T-shirts, con reports, etc. |