 We don't know why, but it seems
appropriate to start off our first issue of the 1990s with an article (reprinted from
the apa SAPS) by Harry Warner, who was an active fan well before we were born. That
said, we'll step aside and let Guy Lillian finish this intro, with a remembrance of
a Christmas Eve visit to his house some years back (from the apa SFPA). 
The greatest apan of all time lives on
a quiet old street rising above Hagerstown, Maryland. It was getting late and getting
colder when I stopped in that small city, but damned if I was going to pass up the
chance. And how fortunate I was that the greatest apan -- not to mention the greatest
letterhack -- of all sf-dom is a kindly fella who doesn't object to having his
celebrated hermithood invaded.He greeted me at the front door to his
stately hone on Summit Avenue, a small man in size, prone I've heard to illness, but
happy it seemed to be remembered (as if anyone versed in fandom could forget him).
The furniture was sparse and antique, but neat and sturdy. A blue crystal lamp stands
out in memory. Against one wall a shelf full of old records -- picked up one by one
over the years, not consciously collected. Against another were a manual Underwood
and a desk on which two Hugos sat, the first two given for Fan Writer.Harry, of course, is legend, along with
Ackerman and Tucker the biggest of BNFs, and certainly the shyest. He told me that
his last con was the Discon of 1974, and it was so crowded that he'd had a terrible
time. Harry, after all, dates back to the fandom that conducted its business by mail,
which accounts for his own preferences for meeting people by the post. His
letterhacking is utterly without peer, as is his commitment to the medium.Gad, all the questions, and all I could
do was ask the usual dumb stuff about his 40 year FAPA mailing string and his
newspaper writing -- forgot to ask about Degler, forgot to ask about Schwartz.
I just bragged on about SFPA$nbsp;100 and talked, a little, about our mutual apa, the
great grandfather of them all, FAPA, and why I might enjoy it. He seemed apologetic
for the older members, who are too tired to do much (although Harry never fails to
fill a quire of stencils every quarter for it). Fear not, I rejected the apologies;
commitment and history compensate for a bit of weariness. FAPA has its history to
its credit. And Harry Warner, too, let's not forget. Title illustration by Sheryl Birkhead |
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