11/29/98

Vincent Clarke, well-known and much-loved British science fiction fan, died today after a long illness. He was a grand fellow. I'll raise a glass in your memory, Vince, and hope you're reunited with ATom and the gang wherever it is Trufans go when they die.

His obituary as it appeared in David Langford's extremely fine monthly fannish newsletter, Ansible:

"VINCENT CLARKE (1922-1998) died in the early hours of 29 Nov, from pneumonia following a long and frustrating illness against which he'd struggled hard -- `Fight, fight, fight!' he wrote to me -- with some small victories, like eventually regaining the ability to swallow, but too many defeats. Vince was one of Britain's best-loved fannish elders. He edited the legendary _Science Fantasy News_ from 1948; famously shared the ultrafannish `Epicentre' flat at the heart of London fandom with Ken Bulmer (with whom he collaborated on a couple of 1952 sf novels); and, though unable to make the US trip, was the first winner of TAFF in 1954. As he himself wrote, `I was active fanning between 1947 and 1960, and during that time I did almost everything in the semi-pro and fan field that it was possible to do.' In 1960 he left fandom, returning in 1982 to record his bemused impressions of the changed fanzine and Eastercon scenes in _Not Science Fantasy News_. My copy of #3 came with a handwritten note on the back: `I think I've managed to insult everyone in this ish. What do I do next? -- Vince.' For `insult', read `gently disagree with'. The 1950s Vince had a reputation for being hot-headed and willing to feud; on his return he was still mischievous but always enormously kind, and did sterling work in introducing newcomers to fandom and the joys of fanzines from his own monumental collection. He slaved away at fannish bibliographies, co-edited the popular fanzine _Pulp_, and worked with Rob Hansen to nail down the facts of British fandom's tangled history. Intersection, the 1995 Glasgow Worldcon, rightly chose him as Fan Guest of Honour. Vince was a wise old fan and a good friend to many of us. He is very much missed."

Indeed.