The first SF convention (as opposed to a comicon) I ever attended was the 1971 Disclave in Washington, D.C. The first person I met at the con was Gardner Dozois, who was working the registration table when I walked in. When he wasn’t volunteering at cons, Gardner was the slushpile reader for GALAXY… and the very same guy who had fished my story “The Hero” out of said slush pile several months previously, leading to my first professional short.

In other words, Gargy was the first friend I made in fandom, and my first editor as well.

He’s still a fan, he’s still a pro, he’s still the best editor out there… and in the decades that followed, he’s been my editor, my collaborator, and my partner in crime, the guy who founded the Hugo Losers Party with me in 1976… before going on to win, like, thirty-seven Hugos in a row.

I had the chance to catch up with him last week in New York City, and I’m pleased to report we’re both going strong.

Friends like the Great Gargoo are the reason I love fandom.

Current Mood: thoughtful