The Bring Bruce Bayside Bulletin

Issue 20 ~ 1 February 2005


Adapted from the Listserv edition
Published by Arnie Katz & Joyce Katz
Special Thanks to: Robert Lichtman

Also available in a PDF format


Heading into the Home Stretch

It's not every fanzine that sees 20 issues, especially in these days of infrequent publication, but then, not every fanzine is done to promote such a good cause. The outpouring of enthusiasm for the project to Bring Bruce Bayside for Corflu and Potlatch could never have achieved its goal so smoothly and swiftly without the cooperation of fans everywhere.

As previously announced, we are no longer soliciting donations. The auction, which Robert Lichtman updates so effectively again this issue, continues as does sale of The Incomplete Bruce Gillespie. Both still very much want and need your support. The former is offering some very choice items for the discriminating fanzine reader, while the latter is a good read for any fan.

The Latest Auction News and Updates:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: As many of you already know, in addition to publication of these auction updates in the BBBB, I send them directly to an e-mail list of about seventy individuals. Now that Corflu itself is nearing and no new items are being added to the auction, I would like to accelerate the bidding process in order to wrap up as quickly as possible. I have two ideas I'm implementing immediately in order to accomplish this:

First, I'm going to publish update rounds via that e-mail list on a more frequent basis than the BBBB sees publication, with a new round appearing within 48-72 hours of the last bid received on the previous round. This means there could be a couple rounds per week. If you want to keep up with the action, please e-mail me at fmz4sale@yahoo.com to be added to the distribution list.

Second, I'm invoking a NEW RULE: On all items on which the current bid is $35 or more, the minimum amount by which a bid must be increased is now FIVE U.S. DOLLARS (US$5).

We have a couple new winners this time: Robin Johnson has won D3 (Ten Years in the Red Light District, edited and published by Calvin W. "Biff" Demmon) for $15 and D4 (Habakkuk "Chapter 1, Verse 1") for $20. And Alison Barton has won P1 (The Way The Future Was, a memoir by Frederick Pohl) for $17.

Please note that once again there are some items down to their final round. If you've been pondering bidding on any of them but holding back, now is the time to strike before they show up here in the winners' column.

Following are the latest high bids:
B25 - [2] - The BNF of Iz by "Carl Brandon" - Ruth Berman $20
B26 - [1] - The Fantasy Amateur for the Summer 1948 FAPA mailing - Nigel Rowe $10
B27 - [3] - Bok 1, a portfolio of eight 8½x11 black and white reproductions of Hannes Bok artwork - Chris Nelson $20
C4 - [3] - Fanac No. 34 (The Fannish) - Peter Weston $43
D2 - [2] - Philip K. Dick: Piper in the Woods, audio cassette interview tape - Alison Barton $22
E1 - [2] - Tappen No. 2 - Randy Byers $10
E2 - [2] - Tappen No. 4 - Randy Byers $10
G4 - [2] - Energumen No. 13 - Ben Zuhl $26
G5 - [2] - Grue No. 29 - Ben Zuhl $26
H1 - [2] - Sikander No. 8 - Ben Zuhl $5
H2 - [2] - Quandry No. 30 - Ben Zuhl $31
H3 - [1] - Science Fiction Five Yearly No. 6 - Tommy Ferguson $15
H4 - [2] - Mota No. 16 - Colin Hinz $13
H5 - [2] - Mota No. 18 - Ben Zuhl $6
W7 - [2] - The Best of Susan Wood - Peter Halasz $35
X1 - [2] - Fancyclopedia II - Craig Smith $35
X2 - [3] - A Sense of FAPA - Thomas Bull $111

THE RULES: Bids for items listed should be sent to the auctioneer, Robert Lichtman, at the following e-mail address: fmz4sale@yahoo.com. The conduct of this auction follows the Bowers Rules, set forth briefly as follows: Each item is preceded by an alphanumeric identifier, followed by [N] (for new item) and then the item specifics. Items will be listed a minimum of three rounds, the [N] changing to [3], then [2] and finally [1] as it progresses. If a higher bid comes in prior to the next round, the counter is reset to a [3], and the cycle begins again. I will make note of items won as we progress. The exception to all this is that items receiving no bids will be designated with a [**] in subsequent listings and subject to being dropped at my whim before the three-round play-out. A minimum initial bid is noted for each item. The first bid received prevails in the case of tied bids. Please make and raise bids only in whole dollar increments. Postage will be added to each shipment. I prefer that all bidders use the following format when placing a bid: Put each item bid for on its own line, prefaced with the item number, followed by your name, and your bid. An example: A3 Joe Fann $5.00. The current high bidder, only, will be listed. No eBay-like "bid history" will be available.

Once again, it would be appreciated if those who are done bidding would contact me at fmz4sale@yahoo.com to settle your account. As a reminder of just who this is, the following have won items and are not currently active in bidding on anything: Alison Barton, Larry Bigman, Tommy Ferguson and Don Fitch. Please contact me for information on your auction winnings total and delivery options.

- Robert Lichtman, January 31, 2005

A Message from Bruce Gillespie

Thanks for BBB Bulletin 19, and all the other bulletins. I don't know what I can do to say or do to thank you and Joyce, in particular, before thanking everybody else. True, I'm not there yet, but if anything should go wrong, it will not be through any fault of you or the other people who have worked so hard for the Fund.

It's all too astonishing. Somehow all this fuss shouldn't have anything to do with me. I'm just Mr. Ordinary Fan who happens to survived longer than most others. I think you said it best, Arnie, in the first issue of Flicker - what really matters is the ability of fandom to do something like the BBB Fund. It's that feeling of togetherness despite our extreme individuality that makes fandom worthwhile.

Thanks to the people who started the idea of the fund, Marty and Robert, then you and Joyce, for agreeing to run the Fund in America, then Bill, for doing such a great job in Australia, and Claire and Mark in Britain, and Irwin for editing The Incompleat Bruce Gillespie, and again Robert for conducting the Auction and taking over as Treasurer. Thanks also to Bruce Townley and Art Widner for contributing the con memberships - as well as the many many contributors to the fund, and a special few who want to remain anonymous although they contributed very large amounts indeed.

It's all too astonishing, so let's celebrate when I get there.

Best wishes
Bruce Gillespie

The Surplus - and What to Do about It

This is the good news I have dreaded since the inception of the BBB Fund. Nothing gets fans over-emotional like a discussion about money. They're remarkably calm when some is missing or there's an unexpected shortfall; it's a surplus too many find hard to handle.

My assessment is that, despite the best effort to have Bruce spend all the money having a good time, our honoree's innate frugality will make it impossible to spend as much as we've collected. (I'll have a Stern Talk with Bruce and try to scare him into spending more, but I fear that even this effort won't be enough to wipe out the overage.)

As co-administrator of the BBB Fund, I can say that no surplus will be dispersed until Bruce is safely home with every penny of his trip bills paid. At that point, Treasurer Robert Lichtman will report to me (and I will report to you) how much money, if any, remains.

The distribution of any surplus will be decided in consultation with Bruce, Robert and Bill, the three fans who have done most to support the BBB Fund. It'll go to faanish charities, primarily the continuing funds, since they may have suffered a loss of income due to the BBB Fund's money-raising efforts.

I apologize in advance for any surplus. Don't hurt me.

The Incompleat Bruce Gillespie

The Incompleat Bruce Gillespie is published and ready for your edification and delight. This truly international fan project, helmed by Irwin Hirsh, is a wonderful souvenir of the BBB Fund, one of fandom’s most successful endeavors. First and foremost, though, TIBG is a terrific read.

The beautiful 40-page compendium features some of Bruce Gillespie’s best personal, stfnal and fannish writings, and is profusely illustrated and impeccably printed. While the leather-bound version is not yet available to the general public, you can order the lovely one we have for $10 (cheap).

Send your orders to either Joyce Katz or Bill Wright (see page below for contact info) and it will be mailed out from Australia as quickly as we can bully Bruce into posting it. In addition, our UK Administrators have copies for sale to fans on the Sceptered Isle.

How to order from the Fund administrators:
Australia: $10 (incl. postage) to Bill Wright, Unit 4, 1 Park Street, St Kilda West VIC 3182.
USA: $10 (incl. airmail postage) to Arnie and Joyce Katz, PMB 152, 330 S Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas NV 89107.
UK: 5 pounds (incl. airmail postage) to Mark Plummer and Claire Brialey, 14 Northway Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 6JE.

The Bottom Line:

The Bring Bruce Bayside Fun is in good shape with ample resources for its purposes, but the exact amount on hand is a little tough to determine at the moment. We haven't misplaced any of the dough, but right now the BBB Fund is spending and collecting money in several locations.

The total is roughly $5,449.20. We'll have exact figures after the trip is concluded.

- Arnie Katz, Las Vegas, NV

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