Apocrypha HrsfalogicaeChapter Two: Dramatis Personæ HRSFA Officers, 1987-Present:Co-Chairs: Editor-in-Chief: Treasurer: Secretary/Managing Secretary (a.k.a. Internal Secretary): SIG Coordinator/Coordinating Secretary (a.k.a. External
Secretary): The following served together as co-chairs: Note: The offices of President and Vice-President were created by the Second Amendment to the first HRSFA constitution, in February of 1989, to replace the position of co-chair; they were abolished two months later by the second constitution. The office of Secretary was bifurcated into two offices (Managing and Coordinating Secretaries) by the third HRSFA constitution, in April of 1991. The office of SIG Coordinator was also abolished thereby. A Bestiary of Prominent HRSFAns:John Abbe ('89): A long-time science fiction fan and conventiongoer, John Abbe was one of the founders of the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association, and served as its first Secretary. In this capacity he obtained an office for the Association in the basement of Harvard Hall, and might therefore be considered the most successful of HRSFA's Secretaries. Abbe also conceived of and organized the first HRSFA Gameathon, now an annual tradition, in the spring of 1989. He remained in the Boston area for two years after his graduation, acting as an advisor to HRSFA and the leader of its Writers' SIG. Carl Anderson ('93): Mr. Anderson is a man of many slogans, of which "Take a Liking to a Viking" may be the most appropriate. When he is not hefting a broadsword, observing one of many pagan holidays, holding another "Woad and Wenches" party, or eating inexcusable amounts of ice cream, Mr. Anderson serves as one of HRSFA's co-chairs, an office he has held since October of 1991. He is also a former SIG Coordinator and Officer-at-Large, and was the founder of the (very short-lived) "Students for a Needlessly Violent Resolution to the Middle East Crisis," in September of 1990. Amy Chused ('93): Amy Chused has been HRSFA's Treasurer time out of mind since February of 1990, in fact. She has thus held her office longer than any other officer, past or present. As Treasurer, Ms. Chused re-organized the Association's financial records, and presided ably during a period characterized by large fluctuations in (as well as overall growth of) HRSFA's treasury. She is also a veteran convention-goer, or at least has become one since she came to Harvard. Alexander Crawford ('88): One of the more enigmatic HRSFAns, chiefly due to the fact that your author has never met him, Mr. Crawford helped found HRSFA in the fall of 1987, on the (perhaps nonexistent) ashes of the old Harvard Science Fiction Society. He was (along with Chaz English) one of the first two co-chairs of HRSFA, and was also the first Editor-in-Chief of Fusion magazine, an office he passed on to Jason May in the spring of 1988 (after publication of Volume I). Chaz English ('88-9): Mr. English was one of HRSFA's founders, one of its first two co-chairs, the editor of the newsletter Hydrogen Band, and, in large part, the author of the Association's first two constitutions. (He is also credited with the discovery that constitutional conventions go well with strawberry daiquiris.) He was an able, if somewhat laid-back, leader, and played a major role (if not the major role) in setting HRSFA's agenda for its first two years of existence. Darcy Gibbons ('93-4): Ms. Gibbons, it is said, is a physical avatar of the gods of Chaos. She was therefore elected cochair of HRSFA in the fall of 1990 the first woman to hold that position and was a key organizer of, among other things, the Association's first annual Masquerade. She was also Production and Design Co-Manager of Volume III of Fusion, by virtue of the fact that she was an assistant manager of HSA Text Processing. (Memorable quote: "I don't know what ever possessed me to take Arabic and Ec 10 at the same time." Neither do we.) Ana Guzman ('93): Ana Guzman succeeded Sarah Kline as HRSFA Secretary in February of 1991, and became Managing Secretary two months later (under the new constitution). She co-produced (with Lee Valentine) the Association's revived newsletter, Share and Enjoy, and was Art Director of Volume IV of Fusion magazine. In addition, it was she who convinced me to write this historical sketch. Eric Hargan ('90): Sheer personal and physical presence was (and presumably is) Eric Hargan's greatest asset, and one which he generally used with great ruthlessness. Elected Editor-in-Chief of Fusion magazine in February of 1989, Mr. Hargan set to work transforming Fusion into a serious student publication, in which task he enjoyed no small success. After publishing Volume II of Fusion, he went on to become one of HRSFA's co-chairs. Mr. Hargan also ran the (in)famous "Catholicworld" AD&DAnime (Japanese animation) campaign, which is best imagined as a Paranoia game using rules designed by a deranged medieval philosopher. John Kastin ('90): John Kastin was the founder of HRSFA's Refreshments SIG, and, along with his Grand Vizier Fred Decaro ('93), held more power, at times, than all of the Association's officers put together. He was active in a number of other SIGs, and a long-time player in Eric Hargan's "Catholicworld" campaign (q.v.). Charles Keckler ('90): One of HRSFA's literati, whatever that means he once planned to rewrite the Bible in a "generic 1950s sf style" Charles Keckler was also the Association's third Treasurer. Skeptical, and occasionally sardonic, Mr. Keckler was the sole dissenter in several HRSFA motions during the 1989-90 school year; his ghost haunts HRSFA meetings still, casting negative votes in most major (and minor) decisions. His physical person currently belongs to the University of Michigan's Anthropology Department. Sarah Kline ('92): An avid Doctor Who and Blake's Seven fan, Sarah Kline was (somewhat to her surprise) elected Secretary of HRSFA in the spring of 1990, and succeeded Edward Trudeau as co-chair the following year. In both capacities she was an able and responsible officer, and thus a great asset to the Association. She was also one of the few prominent HRSFAns who concentrated in History, that noblest and most blessed of fields, while at Harvard. Steve Sigel ('90): Steve Sigel was HRSFA's third co-chair, for a brief time its Vice-President (when that office existed), and, in general, an extremely hard-working, if somewhat pushy, member of the Association. A collector of 16-millimeter films, Mr. Sigel supervised, or helped supervise, most of HRSFA's movie screenings during the first three years of the Association's existence. He also led a small group of telethon volunteers to New Hampshire in the spring of 1989, to help a small television station there keep Dr. Who on the air. Edward Trudeau ('91): Also known as "moth" and "Poppa Co-Chair," Ed Trudeau was and is a talented artist and writer. He was the fourth Editor-in-Chief of Fusion magazine (for whatever good it may have done him), and became co-chair thereafter, following the same path to absolute power as Eric Hargan. Mr. Trudeau was also (along with John Abbe) a co-GM of the so-called "J'edworld" campaign, in the spring and summer of 1991. Lee Valentine ('93): Described as "a meteor" by one HRSFAn and "totally insane" by several others, Lee Valentine has been one of the Association's most active and enthusiastic members. He has served, at various times, as SIG Coordinator, Coordinating Secretary, and, most recently, as co-chair. He was the Business and Production Manager of Volume III of Fusion, and as such built a stable advertising base for Fusion from the ground up. Along with Ana Guzman, he co-produced the HRSFA newsletter Share and Enjoy. Finally, Mr. Valentine took an active interest in the activities of HRSFA's Special Interest Groups, and has been de facto Gaming SIG leader since 1990; he has been known to run up to three gaming campaigns at once, including the justly-(in)famous "Leeworld" AD&D campaign. Gintaras Valiulis ('89-90): Costumer, gamer, and artist, Gint Valiulis was HRSFA's second SIG Coordinator, and was one of the authors of the doctrine that "the SIGs are the lifeblood of HRSFA." He once described sf fans at Harvard as "lonely monads," and suggested that the primary purpose of HRSFA was to bring them together in a strictly social environment. Mr. Valiulis's relaxed style of administration set a precedent for future SIG Coordinators that was immediately shattered by his successor, Lee Valentine. Back to Index |