Michael Walsh
Because I chaired the first Baltimore Worldcon, the esteemed editor of this journal of higher learning requested that I rummage around the brain cells and put together some thoughts about that event.
Regretfully, I didn't attend much programming, being busy with other things—but there were a few....
The Crab Feast and Hugo Awards Ceremony were particularly notable for many reasons. The sound of 1,000 crab mallets banging away in unison... well, never give that many fen toys they can make noise with.
A program item—well actually two—which stands out, was the presentation for the film The Right Stuff. Oh, the studio flaks brought out a couple of the stars, etc. But what absolutely grabbed the audience was the participation of Gordon Cooper and Chuck Yeager. It was quite a sight at the end of the presentation to see the number of hardcore smoffish types babbling, "gosh, wow, can I have your autograph?" And the other program item that stands out was the I, Asimov one-man show by the Good Doctor.
Both of the events were packed to the rafters, so to speak, and many of the attendees were decidedly unhappy. Why? Well, due to the lack of sufficiently sized programming space, the two items were run against each other... The Right Stuff in the Convention Center and the Good Doctor over in the Hyatt.
But the one thing I remember the most is the generosity of fandom, from the maniacal bidding (ah, hand coloring our first flyer at SeaCon...) to the help in the financial aftermath.
I won't go into the hows and whys—it happened—we screwed up. There was much discussion in fandom about the effects of having a Worldcon declare bankruptcy (thank ghu this was before the Internet), but ultimately we decided that paying the bills was the only thing to do. And with the help of many people, from those who purchased boxes of Bic Biro pens to the Worldcons (L.A.con II, Chicon IV, and Noreascon 2) who pitched in—well, those people, their help—I remember with fondness. For even with all of our efforts, nothing would have come of it if not for fandom.
And goshwowoboy, it will be great to actually attend a Baltimore Worldcon for the first time.