Chicon 2000: Ross Pavlac 1951-1997
Chicon 2000
Ross Pavlac 1951-1997
Rev. 16-Jan-2001
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Infobot: info@chicon.org
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Ross Pavlac, one of the earliest and most active members of the
Chicago in 2000 committee, died on the evening of November 12, 1997.
Two months before, he had been diagnosed as suffering from inoperable
cancer. The disease had evidently progressed for years, without
visible symptoms. By the time of detection, it had reached most of the
vital organs, and there was no hope short of a miracle.
Ross was a believer in miracles, but they wouldn't be called
"miracles" if they happened very often. While optimistic till the end,
he accepted the strong probability of an early death and faced it with
courage, serenity and grace.
His last fannish project was chairing Windycon XXIV, the Chicago
area's largest science fiction convention. He had volunteered for the
job not in the expectation of garnering additional egoboo (of which he
had an ample store) but because he had firm convictions about the
direction in which the convention ought to be moving and was willing
to do the work needed to turn his visions into reality. As his illness
worsened, the chairmanship became an increasing burden, but he
persevered so long as his strength held out, making special efforts to
put a team into place that could, if necessary, operate without his
presence. A few days before the con, he was hospitalized for the last
time and never, in this world, heard the outcome of his final project.
A summary of Ross's career in fandom reads like a compilation of "all
that there is to do", particularly in the realm of running
conventions. He was active in Worldcon running as a teenager,
co-chaired Chicon IV in 1982 and held innumerable positions at cons
large and small. He was renowned for his ingenuity at resolving
intractable problems and thus was much in demand whenever a struggling
Worldcon was in need of "rescue".
One of his unfulfilled ambitions was to run programming for a
Worldcon. He was almost boyishly gleeful when I offered him the job of
Program Director for Chicon 2000, full of enthusiasm and ideas. We
agreed that, as soon as possible after LoneStarCon
, we would get together for more detailed
discussions. Alas, the first telephone call that I had from him after
returning from San Antonio was not to set up a program conclave but to
tell me that this was one commitment that he might not be able to
keep.
It is up to us to keep it for him.
Tom Veal
Chairman, Chicon 2000
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Maria has requested donations be made to the American Cancer Society
in lieu of flowers.
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I've known Ross since 1966. I'm a little hazy on whether we met at, or
just before, Tricon. We were both teenagers with an enthusiasm for sf,
and we both volunteered to help with Tricon in some way. I stuffed
envelopes, and I think Ross did too. It was a first con for both of
us. (You know that conventions were mighty thin on the ground in them
there days.)
Somehow we both knew fandom was for us, and the local guys running
that Worldcon (Ben Jason, Frank Andrasovsky(sp?) and Bill Thailing)
encouraged the both of us, with results you all know (in Ross' case,
for sure). Ross showed fannish tendencies even before he discovered
fandom. He told me he published a fanzine for his high school Latin
club. (I think he attended a Catholic school.)
I was saddened to hear he was sick, and more than saddened that he's
died without getting the chance to fight that he'd hoped for.
Jerry Kaufman
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I was stunned when I got the news about Ross. Particularly so soon
after attending Bill Rotsler's memorial here in Los Angeles. I suppose
I should realize that at saying goodbye to friends will happen more
frequently as time goes by. I don't foresee ever learning to accept
that news gracefully.
Ross helped me so much over the years, especially during a difficult
breakup not that long ago. He didn't try to offer me new wisdom--he
was just very good at reminding me of things I'd already learned but
which I was stubbornly ignoring.
We had a lot of favorite things in common. I'm having trouble now
thinking of the Chicago area--or fandom in general--without him.
George Alec Effinger
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I was with Ross on Monday night, November 10th, at the hospital. I
told him how wonderful WindyCon had been and what a great theme "Scots
in Space" had turned out to be with everyone running around in
tartans. I chattered on about other things and when I reminded him
that I still hadn't shown him my daughter's wedding pictures, he
rolled his eyes away to express his disgust with my daughter's early
marriage (she's just 18).
Ross was one of my mentors in Fandom. I will miss his clever ideas,
his awareness of the politics of Fandom, his advice and his hugs.
Diane Miller
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I'm sure some people believe I'm rather blase about Ross's death. I
didn't come to Chicago for the wake or the funeral. And until now I
haven't posted a word to the mail loop or web page.
The truth is just the opposite. I'm only beginning to come to grips
with the grief, only beginning to be aware of the degree of loss.
Denial is still a necessary refuge.
Ross was so many things to me, on so many different levels. A
counselor and comrade, both within and outside of fandom, and integral
part of my life for over twenty years. A self-righteous, opinionated,
stubborn egotist, I can't name anyone who could make me more angry.
Nor do I believe I could love anyone any more deeply.
I don't believe I ever would have become active in fandom's inner
workings without Ross. He encouraged me and valued my opinions at a
time when I was barely a neo and he was already a definitive SMOF.
There's so much that I associate with Ross: He not only showed me all
of Chicago, from Little Italy to the top of the Sears Tower, but he
was an excellent tour guide in Disney World, which was in my home
town! He convinced me to go horseback riding (now a favorite hobby),
introduced me to dozens of ethnic eateries, and in Boston took me on
my first subway ride.
No one has ever come further in convincing me that just because I'm
not the best, perhaps not even good at something, maybe even scared,
doesn't mean I can't try. During our last phone conversation, I told
him that I'm no good at praying, and he reminded me what he'd taught
me about prayer ten years ago. But when I sobbed out that I'm no good
at being strong, he told me I didn't have to be strong for him, that
he wasn't afraid and he would be strong for both of us. Which is what
I'm still holding on to today.
Becky Thomson
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Sorry we no longer have Ross with us. He was kind and generous and
funny and smart. He's given a lot, over and over again, to SF fandom
in working on conventions, publishing fanzines, and starting subgroups
like Christian Fandom.
We saw this coming, but that doesn't stop me from being Deeply Bummed.
Who do we have left, now, who can emerge from hotel negotiations with
ten free parking spaces for a Worldcon's vehicles?
He was always ready to donate time and energy to help out fans and
science fiction. If you go down to the Museum of Science and Industry,
passing through the food exhibit and the post office exhibit, you'll
come to a display of SF artifacts, video, and illustrations. Ross's
name is on the plaque there. MSI wanted to explain the connection
between science fiction and spaceflight, and Ross invited the
designers to examine and photograph his SF collection to find suitable
illustrations.
He's at the Big Worldcon now, where the elevators arrive just when you
need one, and all the angels are wearing bow ties. Goodbye, Avenging
Aardvark.
Bill Higgins
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Ross Pavlac: An appreciation
(from Progress Report 1)
Ross Pavlac was a leading force in the Chicago 2000 bid. At
LoneStarCon 2, Chicago won the bid, but before Ross could even think
about his role in the 2000 convention, doctors diagnosed him with
pancreatic cancer. Just two months later he passed away, on November
12, 1997. Ross was 46 years old, not an age when anyone thinks he has
done all he is going to do. Especially not a fan who did as much as
Ross.
If you're under 50, you never attended a Chicago Worldcon that Ross
didn't contribute to in a major way. He co-chaired the 1982 con with
Larry Propp, handled Facilities for the 1991 con, and had been asked
to create Chicon 2000's program. Along the way he also ran the Chicon
V business meeting and helped design its Hugo Award base.
Ross remained active in conrunning to within a few weeks of his death.
He chaired the 1997 Windycon in Chicago, but became too sick to attend
it.
Ross's death meant much more than simply the end to an active life in
SF fandom. It tragically ended his three-year marriage to Maria
Pavlac. Before they married, Maria was a graduate student attending
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the Chicago area. Her roots in
fandom go back to 1973: she has belonged to the University of
Massachusetts club, worked on several Boston-area conventions, and is
a member of SFWA. They wed in 1994 in the seaside Massachusetts
backyard of Maria's brother, with Rick Foss as best man.
Ross was gone in a shockingly short period of time. Since Ross was a
fighter, I was a more than a little stunned to be sitting in the
Hillside Free Methodist Church of Evanston, IL, on November 22,
waiting for the start of his memorial service. But Maria explained to
a group of us at dinner after the memorial service that despite the
shortness of time it had been long enough for the important things: to
say goodbye, to cry together, to express their love for each other.
She felt fortunate in comparison to a wife who loses her spouse
instantly in a traffic accident and never gets to do any of that.
Maria generously shared the moving details of those last days with
those of us who hadn't been there, and remembered warmly all the
people who supported Ross with visits and in prayer in the final days.
Darrell Martin, Ross's sidekick in many fannish ventures, began the
sharing time at the November 22 memorial service with a tribute from
the heart: "I don't know if I was Ross's best friend, but Ross was
certainly my best friend." Eric Pement shared his memories about
Ross's contact with Jesus People USA in the late 70s, which was one of
Ross's formative experiences as a young Christian. Ross was raised as
a Unitarian before making the short jump to agnosticism. When he
committed his life to Christ, Ross attended weekly services at JPUSA,
a full-time Christian community in uptown Chicago. He became a
contributing editor for their Cornerstone Magazine, and also wrote for
His, the magazine of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He reviewed
music and concerts, and interviewed contemporary Christian musicians.
He wrote a groundbreaking article about Amy Grant when she began to
have crossover appeal. He also served as head of security for
Christian rock concerts. Along the way, Ross became known as fandom's
most outspoken Christian. His legacies to fandom include his
comprehensive bibliography of Christian SF and fantasy.
Ross discovered SF fandom while growing up in Cleveland, and was
involved with the Worldcon held there in 1966, doing things like
stuffing envelopes. These beginnings were even humbler and more
humorous than they sound, as Ross told the story: "When I was a neofan
[at the 1966 Worldcon], Harlan Ellison grabbed a just-autographed copy
of the Foundation Trilogy out of my hands, ran down the hall with it,
and gave it to a fan at random."
Ross eventually became one of the best-known conrunning fans, working
on some of the early Marcons in Columbus, on most of the Windycons in
Chicago, and on many of the past 20 Worldcons. He was one of the
fannish leaders informally referred to as "Secret Masters of Fandom"
(SMoFs). Despite the nickname, darned few of them really want it to be
a secret, Ross least of all. That would explain the blue aardvark
suit.
Ross produced a fanzine called Avenging Aardvark's Aerie in the 70s
and 80s, a title that later returned as the name of his web page. The
Avenging Aardvark served as totem and fannish persona, all in one. He
also had someone make him a bright blue aardvark costume and was not
shy about wearing it. He loved telling the story of the time he was
invited to wear it to a fannish wedding and the uproar it caused.
Curt Clemmer was one of the core architects of the 1982 Worldcon bid,
along with Larry Propp, Yale Edeiken, and Ross. When Curt wed Melissa
Bayard in 1980, the couple asked Ross to wear his aardvark suit to the
ceremonies -- to be the "something blue."
Ross wrote, "... On the day of the wedding, I strolled into the hotel
meeting room where the wedding would be, wearing my bright blue
aardvark suit, complete with long ears, tail, nose, etc. It being a
formal occasion, I carried a cane. Also, since Melissa and I are
descended from the McKenzie clan, I wore a tie of Dress McKenzie
tartan.
"As the vows were recited, Dr. Bob Passovoy's daughter Robin (who was
about three at the time) suddenly noticed me. She turned to her
father. 'Who dat, daddy? Who dat?' The Passovoys were sitting in the
front row, only a few feet away from where the vows were even then
being spoken. Bob tried to quiet her by whispering, 'That's your uncle
Aardvark, Robin.'
"Robin's reaction was to wave wildly to me, shouting, 'Hi, uncie
Aardvark! Hi, uncie Aardvark!'
"Curt, who was well within earshot of this, said afterwards that it
took the greatest concentration of his life to pay attention to the
vows and not break out laughing. As the couple exited, the Dorsai
whipped out swords, switchblades and such to form a military arch of
steel. I proudly participated, using my cane in lieu of a weapon..."
The famous costume reappeared over the years, including as part of the
"Aardvark and the Ant" entry in the 1992 MagiCon masquerade.
As a con organizer, Ross used the aardvark icon as one means of
conveying his personal vision of how to run things. He dubbed his
special assistants at Chicon IV and V the "Aardvark Flying Squad," and
gave them distinctive buttons. Many fans found him a pleasure to work
for because he created unique identities and loyalties for his team.
Fans who caught the vision found it wonderful, exciting and
mesmerizing; however, those who didn't criticized it as overly
grandiose.
When Ross was problem-solving, he did so with the same wonderful level
of panache. Ross started one Worldcon with a six-pack of beer in hand
and, when he found a particular writer, delivered it to him on one
knee like a squire presenting his knight's sword. It was an active
symbol of appreciation that pleased a personality other committees
claimed they couldn't deal with.
From the beginning, it never was enough for Ross to have been "very
helpful" to a Worldcon; he needed to make a legendary contribution.
For example, he loved the idea of being part of the 1976
Worldcon-rescuing "Columbus Cavalry." It was not simply ego. Fandom
was his civilization and he aspired to achieve something heroic in it.
If fandom, like the Roman legions, awarded a corona graminea ("grass
crown") for personally saving the day, he would have sought that honor
more than any other. He won something of that kind at the 1992
Worldcon, where he was presented with a "MagiCon Hero" medal at the
end of the con for his last-minute creation of the registration
software.
Ross also loved to exploit his dramatic flair as a gift for his
friends. At Chicon IV, I shocked him by saying I planned to skip the
Hugos in order to see Buckaroo Banzai -- I'd seen Locus win before.
Ross played on my sense of duty to cover the event for File 770
readers, thus making sure I was on hand to be surprised with a special
committee award. He struck again at Chicon V with a special committee
award for Elst Weinstein, inventor of the Worldcon Ranquet and
administrator of the satirical "Hogu Awards." Ross convinced the
reluctant Elst to dress in a suit and attend the Hugos by telling him
he was going to help present an award to me. The hoaxer hoaxed!
Probably the perfect convergence of Ross's theatrical flair,
fannishness and committed Christianity came at L.A.con III, the 1996
Worldcon, when he was called on to debate J. Michael Straczynski about
the proposition "Does God Exist?"
Craig Miller, looking to diversify the program, learned that
Straczynski was willing to take the negative side of this issue, but
who would take the "pro" side? Craig needed about one second to
answer: Ross Pavlac, a believer and a devoted Straczynski fan besides.
Ross had already met Straczynski during a Babylon 5 reception at
Planet Hollywood in Chicago. Ross went early to meet personalities
from his favorite tv show, but he didn't recognize one when he sat in
front of him:
"As we were sitting and munching on spicy chicken wings, a man in his
40's sat down at the table and began nattering at us, talking about
how expensive this thing was and how people would actually pay money
to see J. Michael Straczynski and how he wouldn't pay good money to
see himself! For the first 10 seconds I thought this might be some
truly obnoxious fan but after the initial shock of the rapid-fire
patter I realized this was Straczynski!"
When the pair debated the existence of God before a large audience at
the 1996 Worldcon, I'm sure Ross was terrified (though he'd never have
admitted it to us). What closely-held belief of yours would you
subject to the scoffing of the day's most popular SF figure before a
roomful of people? But he hung in. The debate at L.A.con III
exemplified Ross's characteristic courage. As you know, courage is not
fearlessness, it is overcoming fear. And as David Bratman wrote
afterwards, "He totally outclassed J. Michael Straczynski in their
debate at Anaheim, being prepared and articulate where his opponent
wasn't really either of these."
Last year's Worldcon, LoneStarCon 2, hosted a Former Worldcon Chairs
Party in a suite that overlooked the Alamo and the San Antonio
Riverwalk. About 20 former Worldcon chairs were there, including two
who chaired cons in the 1950's. A group photo was taken, and it's sad
to think Ross won't be posing with us the next time.
Whenever death claims one of our fannish friends, it hurts. It hurts
even more when we knew the person well, especially someone who was
still in his most productive years. In Ross's case, so many
possibilities were ready for harvest. Ross and Maria joined a new
church within the last year. Ross was on the verge of fulfilling his
ambition to design a Worldcon program. And he continually added
information to The Worldcon Runners Guide, as WSFS-sponsored
encyclopedia of practical conrunning knowledge, which he saw as his
lasting legacy. He intended to synthesize the whole picture of what it
meant to run a Worldcon and do it well.
Conventions and writing projects helped Ross create friendships. The
1997 Windycon committee kept a low profile about the chairman's
hospitalization, not wanting to overshadow fans' enjoyment of the con.
Fans were mindful of it in their own way: an auction conducted by Bob
Passavoy raised over $3,000 for cancer research. Greg Thokar wrote,
"So devastated to hear about Ross. He was one of the nicest fans I
knew." Kevin Standlee said, "Ross is one of the first people in fandom
who took me seriously and gave me a chance to show that I could be
trusted with a task when he appointed me timekeeper of the 1991 WSFS
Business Meeting which he chaired. I've always been grateful for this
and for him. He will be missed." Other friends have posted on the
Chicago 2000 website. Ross died with dreams unfulfilled, but he will
be remembered for how many he realized in a lifetime of fanac.
Mike Glyer
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