* Philadelphia

* Pittsburgh
  - Carnegie Mellon Science Fiction Society formed in 1967
    > founded by Linda Eyster (later Linda Bushyager), Ginjer Buchanan, Genie
      DiModica, and Suzanne Tompkins who became known as her nickname `Suzle'
      -- they referred to themselves as the "Founding Mothers" of the club
      -- (mini-bios of Linda, Ginjer, and Suzle go here)
    > other prominent members during the 1960s included Adrienne Fein, Ron
      Bushyager, Art Vaughn, Dena Benatan, Jeff Schalles, and Ginjer Buchanan
      -- Dena Benatan later married Charles Brown, became co-editor of LOCUS
         for a while
         >> best known for her quote at a Science Fiction Research Assoc.
            convention in 1970: "Let's get science fiction out of the
            classroom and back into the gutter where it belongs."
    > another member of club was Dale DiNucci, who gained reputation as a
      FakeFan
      -- had never read a SF book, but published a fanzine
    > organization later became known as Western Pennsylvania SF Association
      -- popularly known by members as "Woops-fa"
      -- an infrequent publication of the group was their newszine WOOPS
    > at first, meetings were held at Carnegie-Mellon University, as most
      members were CMU students or graduates
      -- later, meetings started to be held at the homes and apartments of
         various club members
    > club struggling with only 10-15 people for first several months of its
      existance
      -- during this time, the club was hampered by the fact that it hadn't
         yet discovered fandom existed
         >> fortunately, their fannish ignorance was short-lived, due to
            the relative closeness of 1967's worldcon, which was in New York
    > Linda and Suzle became inspired after attending 1967 Worldcon
      -- they were able to use much of their new-found energy jump-start the
         club, and had enough left over to start a genzine, GRANFALLOON
      -- "death car" expedition to 1968 Disclave in Washington, DC ensued
         >> caravan of 9 fans in "death car", a fishtailing station wagon;
            also, 3 others went in decrepit Ford
      -- many of the fans who attended were young, single women, which made
         fandom "sit up and take notice" of club's existance
      -- afterwards, club meetings averaged 20 or more
  - Pittcon group that put on 1960 worldcon was mostly gone by late 1960s
    > by late 1960s, had lapsed into socializing meetings at local Lebanese
      restaurant, rarely discussing SF or fandom
      >> group still run by Dirce Archer
      >> meetings attended by members of new CMU group, but members of Pittcon
         group did not reciprocate
  - publications of Pittsburgh fans
    > GRANFALLOON
      -- edited by Linda Bushyager and Suzle Tompkins
      -- name was derived from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s novel CAT'S CRADLE, as
         Linda and Suzle explained in their second issue after being deluged
         by letters from befuddled fans: "It means a group of people who are
         supposed to be connected by a certain belief, but are actually
         completely different.  A religion, a fraternal organization, or a
         like group would be a Granfalloon!  Hope this clears up the mystery."
         >> not known if they were further deluged by letters asking for an
            explanation of the explanation
      -- first issue came out in February 1968
         >> cover by Adrienne Fein, who was an art major
         >> Linda requested help from the NFFF in obtaining fan art for the
            issue, and the NFFF responded by helping her and Suzle get some
            illos from Jack Gaughan and other fanartists
         >> the issue even had a few letters of comment, something usually
            difficult to accomplish for a first issue
            --- this was realized as a result of Linda being in 
                correspondence with several fans she had met who were in the
                NFFF
         >> issue was hand-carried to that year's Marcon in Columbus, Ohio
            --- (what happened there?  good reviews?  did it debut there?)
      -- by third issue, fanzine had started to gain much favorable notice
         >> contributors by then included some notable fans such as Bob
            Tucker, and many fans who would later become notable such as
            Sandra Miesel, Jerry Kaufman, Ginjer Buchanan, and Richard Delap
      -- fanzine lasted for 18 issues total, and survived well into the 1970s
         >> most famous contribution was Ginjer Buchanan's report on the
            surreal 1968 Worldcon, which she titled "I've Had No Sleep and I
            Must Giggle"
         >> even managed to get fiction contributions from Roger Zelazny and
            Piers Anthony
         >> will be remembered for its contents as well as its appearance
            -- featured multi-color artwork, done using mimeo
            -- contributions ranged from book, movie, and fanzine reviews to
               poetry to convention reports to fan fiction to art portfolios;
               also known for its long letters columns
         >> garnered a Hugo nomination (what year?)
         >> (need some meaty quote here by Suzle and/or Linda remembering the
             fanzine)
    > (other publications of the 1960s?)

* Washington, D.C.
  - Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA)
    > met first and third Fridays of each month
    > sponsored the Disclave convention
    > publications
      -- a clubzine, THE WSFA JOURNAL
         >> edited by Don Miller
            --- (mini bio here)
      -- SPECULATIVE REVIEW
         >> sercon publication edited by Dick Eney in early 1960s
         >> described by FANAC as containing "detailed and intelligent reviews
            and critiques of current professional science fiction"

* Baltimore
  - Baltimore SF Forum was city's first organized SF club, (when?)
    > faded from sight (when?)
  - Jack Chalker one of few Baltimore fans in very early 1960s
    > (mini-bio of Chalker here)
  - in 196x, meets Mark Owings on a schoolbus, in middle of snowstorm
    > formed nucleus of Baltimore fandom for remainder of decade
  - Baltimore SF Society
    > formed in 1963 by Chalker and 5 other Baltimore fans
  - events
    > in 1960, a teen-age fan, Ted Pauls, became nationally renown when he
      was mentioned in a news story carried by all the wire services about a
      poltergeist that had appeared in his grandparents' home
      -- sugar bowls had been sailing through the air, a chandelier had been
         oscillating, and pop bottles and flower pots had burst
      -- before it all died away, the whole matter was investigated by one Dr.
         Nandor Fodor of the Parapsychology Foundation of New York, who was
         described in the wire service story as "an international authority"
         >> Dr. Fodor theorized the poltergeist was brought on by Pauls, who
            was living with his parents and grandparents in the house, because
            there was "a definite association between puberty and
            poltergeists."  Fodor went on to say that subconscious energy
            released during puberty often resulted in "a repressed
            aggressiveness or, in the case of the boy, a violent rage to
            create -- to be productive."
            --- Paul's `rage to create' had thusfar resulted in a fanzine,
                FANJACK, but nobody seems to have checked to see if the ghost
                was really a manifestation of one of the fannish ghods
      -- at any rate, although the local fire and police authorities professed
         they were baffled by the poltergeist reports, the FBI was
         sufficiently unimpressed that it declined to investigate

* Cincinnati
  - Cincinnati Fantasy Group (CFG)

* Columbus, Ohio
  - Central Ohio Science Fiction Society (COSFS)
    > formed in late 1966
    > founding members were Bob Hillis, Bob Gaines, Brian Burley, John Ayotte,
      and Larry Smith
    > (details?)

* Cleveland
  - in the 1950s, Cleveland was one of the centers of U.S. fandom
    > was the point of origin into the sf world of Harlan Ellison, who started
      out as a member of the Cleveland Science Fantasy Society, and edited the
      club's fanzine, BULLETIN OF THE CLEVELAND SCIENCE FANTASY SOCIETY, which
      he soon transformed into one of the best fanzines of the early 1950s,
      under the title of DIMENSIONS
    > in 1955, the city hosted a worldcon, the Clevention, that was chaired by
      Nick Falasca and Noreen Falasca
      -- the worldcon mostly lived up to its reputation as a sf club destroyer
         and Cleveland fandom suffered a decline for the rest of the decade
         >> fans dropped out or moved away
            --- Ellison was one of them, eventually arriving in California by
                way of New York and Chicago
            --- Nick and Noreen Falasca eventually divorced; Noreen married
                Larry Shaw and was living in New York by the early 1960s
         >> by the early 1960s, there remained only a few fans who had links
            to the previous decade
  - Ben Jason was the leading fan in Cleveland during the 1960s
    > (mini-bio of Ben here)
    > (Tricon bid details here)
      -- defeated a Syracuse bid by Dave Kyle
    > (other 1960s activities here)
  - meanwhile, not far away, in Akron, Ohio, two fans put the northern Ohio
    area back to the forefront with a new fanzine, DOUBLE:BILL
    > their names were Bill Bowers and Bill Mallardi
      -- (brief bios of Bowers and Mallardi go here)
    > (info on the fanzine, its contents, contributors; when it started; when
      it folded)
      -- nominated for Hugo in 1965 and 1966, but did not win either time
    > in addition to regular issues of the fanzine, there was also a special
      issue: DOUBLE:BILL SYMPOSIUM
      -- (details needed: why? when? length? contributors? etc...)
      -- Lloyd Biggle conducted survey of sf writers and editors
  - after the Tricon, fandom in Cleveland once again went into a decline
    > (details)
    > was not until the middle of 1968 until signs of organized fandom
      appeared again
  - a new Cleveland-area fan club, the Northeast Ohio SF Society (NEOSFS),
    formed in July 1968
    > name was apparently deliberately chosen so that it could be referred to
      as `neo-SFS', though some of its members were as far from neo-fans as
      could be imaginable
      -- the most prominent members were Jason (correct?), Bowers, and
         Mallardi
    > club was founded by a Jerry Kaufman, who would in later decades become a
      prominent fan editor in his own right
    > met at members homes
    > (other details)
      -- sponsored a small New Year's Eve convention/party, on Dec. 31, 1968,
         in Sandusky, Ohio
    > (lasted until when?)

* Detroit
  - the earliest-known Detroit fan organization was the Detroit Science
    Fictioneers, which existed briefly at the end of the 1930s
  - in the early and mid 1940s, the center of fandom in Michigan was not
    Detroit
    > the most notable fan activity in Michigan in the 1940s took place in
      Battle Creek, where the legendary Slan Shack became the center of the
      fannish universe for a two-year period from late 1943 through most of
      1945
      -- it was occupied by Al & Abby Lu Ashley, E. E. Evans, Jack Wiedenbeck,
         and Walt Liebscher, and was visited at one time or another during its
         existence by scores of fans
      -- broke up in September 1945, when the occupants all packed up and
         moved to California
  - Detroit fandom of the 1940s was mostly centered around the Detroit
    Hyperborean Society, which existed from the war years in the middle of the
    decade until 1948
    > by the end of the decade, the Michigan Science-Fantasy Society (MSFS),
      nicknamed The Misfits, rose from the ashes of the DHS, formed by fans
      who outlasted the club
      -- these included Martin Alger, Ed Kuss, Ben Singer, Art Rapp, Howard
         DeVore, and George Young
         >> George Young, while visiting Ray Nelson in Cadillac, Michigan,
            purchased a propeller beanie, which Nelson went on to popularize
            in fandom
         >> Art Rapp, in the pages of his fanzine SPACEWARP, introduced a new
            fannish god, Roscoe, whose Labor Day birthday fans celebrated when
            they attended worldcons
         >> Alger thought up a motto for the group: "Join the MSFS and Go
            Places "
            --- some other members of the group had taken trips at public
                expense after being apprehended by the police on charges
                running the gamut from forgery to assault to pornography to
                possession of illegal weapons
      -- the decade ended with a bang when someone set off a bomb on Art
         Rapp's lawn during the MSFS meeting of November 13, 1949 there; this
         was effectively the end of the Misfits, and a new organization, the
         Detroit Science Fiction League came into being in the 1950s to
         replace it
  - the decade of the 1950s was a golden age for Detroit fandom
    > DSFL members Roger Sims and Ed Kuss were half of the foursome who hosted
      the legendary Room 770 party at the 1951 Worldcon
    > in 1959, after several years of bidding, Detroit fans succeeded in
      hosting a Worldcon, the Detention, which was co-chaired by Sims and Fred
      Prophet
      -- following the Detention, the zing seemed to go out of organized
         fandom in the Detroit area
         >> remnants of the Detroit Science Fiction League still met, but they
            became mostly transformed into a league bowling team
  - Detroit fandom of the 1960s, on the other hand, was in decline for most of
    the decade
    > mostly anecdotal tales survive
      -- in November 1963, George Young got himself arrested for towing Roger
         Sims's car that had no working taillights
         >> routine check showed that Young had amassed a considerabl number
            of unpaid traffic tickets
         >> Sims bailed him out for $77
         >> turned out that Sims was the source for all the trouble in the
            first place, since he had just sold Young the car
    > Detroit SFL (is this correct?) was reactivated by Dannie Plachta in
      December 1963
      -- his efforts were almost cut short because of March 1964 auto accident
         >> Plachta, Dick Schultz, and Paul Maurer riding in Plachta's car on
            March 1st when it was struck by another car
         >> witnesses said the other car was a dark-colored Mercury, but
            Maurer said it was a scaly dragon, and Schultz swore it was a
            bright red streetcar breathing smoke and fire, while Plachta only
            knew that whatever it was, it ate most of the back end of his car
    > in 1966, Detroit fandom, along with Cincinnati and Cleveland fans,
      joined forces to host a Worldcon, but it was held in Cleveland
      -- (details about how the alliance was formed)
  - by the late 1960s, Detroit's fandom consisted of an organization known
    simply as Michigan Fandom
    > met only monthly, at various members' homes
    > Dick Schultz was listed as point of contact for the organization
  - it was not until the very end of the 1960s that organized fandom made a
    resurgence in the Detroit area, when the Wayne Third Foundation (SF club
    of Wayne State University in Detroit) came into being
    > founded during spring term of 1969
      -- Alan Smith, an otherwise obscure fan, was its founder
      -- other founding members included Steve Cook, Paula Layton, Guy Snyder,
         Laura Basta, and Alex Vitek
      -- (whose idea was it? need details on club's founding)
    > met weekly (where?)
      -- (officers and their titles?)
    > published two fanzines
      -- SELDON'S PLAN NEWSLETTER
         >> editor was not listed in early issues, but may have been Vitek
            -- by end of 1969, Snyder had taken it over
         >> for its first year of publication, usually was about 4-6 pages
            long, biweekly, containing mostly recaps of W3F meetings
            -- 14 issues published in 1969
      -- SELDON'S PLAN FANZINE
         >> initially edited by Snyder and Basta
         >> first issue dated December 1969
            --- 46 pages (mimeo) of mostly fan fiction by various fans with
                artwork by Randy Bathhurst
      -- the two fanzines were merged in late 1970 or early 1971 into one
         publication, SELDON'S PLAN
    > heavy reliance on fan fiction in the club's fanzine reflected the club's
      view of itself as a literary society that should encourage unpublished
      writers
      -- Snyder himself went on to sell a novel, TESTAMENT XXI, to DAW Books
         (when?)
   > in 1970s, club became noteworthy as the origination point into fandom for
     many new fans