Jan Howard Finder
Jan Howard Finder (March 2, 1939 – February 26, 2013) was an American academic administrator, career counselor, science fiction writer, filker, hostelling tour guide, cosplayer, and fan. He was a guest of honor at the 1993 Worldcon, ConFrancisco. As a personal affectation, he often spelled his name in all lower case letters, jan howard finder. (His last name is pronounced finn-der.)[1]
Jan Howard Finder | |
|---|---|
Finder, MCing the costume competition at Worldcon 2012 | |
| Born | March 2, 1939 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2013 (aged 73) Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | American science fiction writer and academic administrator |
Background and work edit
Originally from Chicago, Illinois,[2] Finder became a devotee of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien in 1964, when he "spent three straight days curled up at his parents’ house" reading The Lord of the Rings. He studied academic administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and while there organized the "First Conference on Middle-earth", in 1969. In 1971, he held the second "Conference on Middle-earth" at Cleveland State University, where he was working as an assistant dean.[3] He ended up spending most of his life as a career counselor for various employers, including a stint at the United States Army's Fort Drum.[4]
Science fiction edit
Finder, nicknamed "The Wombat," was a frequent guest of honor at science fiction conventions, including "Honored Guest" at ConFrancisco (the 1993 Worldcon).[5][6] He was also Fan Guest of Honor at BYOB-Con 8 (1978), Lastcon 1 (1981, Albany NY), LepreCon 8 (1982), Genericon 1 (1985), NotJustAnotherCon 4 (1988), and Arisia 12 (2001).[5][7] He was a co-founder of Albacon.[8]
He was the chairperson of several science fiction conventions not specifically dedicated to the writings of Tolkien. He was chair of Albacon in 1996 and of the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) 32 in Schenectady, New York in 2001.[5][7] Well known in fannish circles,[9] Finder was editor of the fanzine The Spang Blah.[5] Until 2011 he was "scribe" (secretary) of the Latham-Albany-Schenectady-Troy Science Fiction Association.[10]
The Wombat was a frequent masquerade judge,[7][11] costumer[12] charity auctioneer, and participant in panel discussions, from Arisia and Albacon in the Northeast United States to Worldcons [13][14] and Lunacon 2007.[15] He also mentored other prospective con chairs.[16]
Finder wrote in the short story genre, and his short fiction writing has been published in several anthologies, including "The Grapes of Rath" (1980) in Microcosmic Tales (1981).[17][18][19]
He edited the 1982 anthology Alien Encounters (1982) Taplinger ISBN 0-8008-0168-7,[20] which included short stories by Lynn Abbey, Ben Bova, Lee Killough, David Langford, and Ian Watson, among others. Finder was tuckerized when Anne McCaffrey named a character for him.[21]
Tour guide edit
Finder was well known for his organized hostelling tours of science-fiction and -fantasy related sites, such as to "Middle-earth"—meaning New Zealand, where The Lord of the Rings was filmed.[22]
Film edit
Finder played a bit part in the 2006 film UnCivil Liberties, and was a production assistant for the 2006 motion picture The Break-Up.[23]
Recent events edit
For 2011, Finder organized the "3rd Conference on Middle-earth" (deliberately hearkening back to those of 1969 and 1971 which he had led), in Westford, Massachusetts. "I just finally said, 'I want to do it, and I don't give a damn if I lose money—I'll pay for it...'" "This is something I've wanted to do for 40 years." Finder retired from academia and battled prostate cancer, spending parts of March and August 2011 in the hospital.[3]
Death edit
Finder died at Albany Medical Center Hospital on February 26, 2013, five days before his 74th birthday, from renal and liver failure. He was undergoing a course of chemotherapy at the time.[4]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Pern Characters web site
- ^ "Jan Howard Finder, AKA "The Wombat" (1939–2013)". Locus. February 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Edgers, Geoff (March 24, 2011). "At Westford conference, a fellowship of Tolkien fans". Boston Globe.
- ^ a b Brown, Kristen V. (February 26, 2013). "'Greatest enthusiast' dies at 73: Jan Howard Finder traveled far and wide to feed various passions". Times Union (Albany).
- ^ a b c d SciFi Fan Gallery page on Jan Howard Finder
- ^ WorldCon programming cached web site 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c LepreCon web site
- ^ Readers Advice web site
- ^ Sci Fi Fan Photo website
- ^ Latham-Albany-Schenectady-Troy Science Fiction Association website 2007-04-19 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 25, 2011.
- ^ WorldCon 2005 official web page program listing 2007-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Costume Con Gallery web page on one of his creations
- ^ Worldcon 2003 program 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ WorldCon 2005 Photo gallery
- ^ LunaCon web site 2008-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Archon web site 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ IBList web site
- ^ Diverse Books web site September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections listing for Finder as author
- ^ Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections listing for Finder as editor
- ^ Pern Character web site
- ^ Lastfa web site discussion
- ^ IMDb listing for Jan Howard Finder
External links edit
- The Wombat: There & back Again, a Wombat's Holiday by jan howard finder
- Image on Flickr
- Jan Howard Finder at IMDb
- Jan Howard Finder at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Jan Howard Finder in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction