Norwescon 1 ConCom Cartoon

Bill Warren drew this cartoon depicting some members of the Norwescon 1 convention committee to fill a space in the program book. It was amusing enough, but there was depth to it.

Many of the people in the cartoon are identifiable from Bill's caricatures, and I asked him about the few who weren't. So, to document this before it entirely disappears from living memory, I have included a version with labels in addition to the original scan from the program book.

Counter-clockwise from the left:

Becky Bennett (now Becky Veal) - My wife at the time. Becky was our concom secretary. She went on in fandom to co-chair the 1992 Worldcon in Orlando, and now is married to Tom Veal, who was chairman of Chicon IV... or V; wunna dem anywho.

Bill Warren - William R. Warren, Jr. Artist extraordinaire who created about 75% of all the ad hoc artwork that appeared in NWSFS and Norwescon publications.

Elizabeth Warren - married to Bill at the time. She went on to chair a Norwescon or two. Bob Doyle - I think he was in charge of the dealer room at Norwescon 1; or maybe he was helping Dave Bray do that.

Richard Wright - (in the ceiling) Richard was our business manager. He later chaired the NWSFS and then several Norwescons. Richard was also responsible for bringing the Philip K. Dick awards to Norwescon, and for bringing in back after Norwescon faltered.

Steve Bard - program director for Norwescon 1. More than anyone else, Steve is responsible for defining Norwescon's style and propelling it to the forefront of fannish SF conventions. He had the brass to invite practically everyone in the SFWA; and they came! Steve picked up the reins when Melva and I moved to Houston the next year, and chaired Norwescon 3 through 5.

Greg Bennett - "I must be important because I'm the guy with the big chair." --David Bradley, about his role as Walder Frey in "Game of Thrones"

Jane Hawkins - (on the couch with Becky) Jane breathed life into the Norwescon art show. She defined it, invited the artists, and set it on its path to greatness.

Of course there were many others who helped before and during the convention, but these are the folks who Bill thought of when he needed a cartoon to fill the space.

(Text by Gregory Bennett)