Jack Speer

John Bristol Speer (August 9, 1920 – June 28, 2008) was an attorney, practicing law for over 60 years; a judge; and a Washington House of Representatives member.

A long-term science fiction fan, he was described as by Harry Warner, Jr as a pivotal early historian of the science fiction fandom. Speer authored both Up to Now: A History of Science Fiction Fandom and Fancyclopedia.

Life and career Speer was born in Comanche, Oklahoma. He received his bachelor's degree from George Washington University and, after World War II, his law degree from the University of Washington. During WWII, he worked for the Lend Lease Administration as an administrative aide for the American Food Mission to French North Africa. After the war, he began practicing law in North Bend, Washington.

Speer married his wife of 57 years, Myrtle Ruth Speer, in 1951. The couple had two children, Margaret Ann (now Abercrombie), and Edward.

From 1959 to 1961, he served a term as a Democratic legislator in the Washington state House of Representatives, representing a district in King County.

In 1962, Speer moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He continued to practice law and served two terms as the judge of the Bernalillo County Small Claims Court. A registered Parliamentarian, he judged high school debates throughout the state of New Mexico.

On 28 June 2008, Speer, 87, died in his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was interred in Santa Fe National Cemetery. In 1944, he followed Up to Now with the first edition of Fancyclopedia, an encyclopedia of fan culture and history and the jargon used in fanzines. Both works are still used as references. (There is now a Fancyclopedia 3, which is maintained as a wiki.)

Fan historian Harry Warner, Jr. commented that Speer was "the first to stress (fandom's) subcultural aspects. Single-handedly, he made fandom's ayjays something entirely different from the mundane amateur journalism groups" by introducing the "mailing comment," which has its successor in today's blog comment. Warner considered Speer to be "one of the pioneer historians of fandom".

At Chicon, Speer and Milt Rothman suggested a costume party or masquerade. Their suggestion was readily adopted and is still popular with today's fandom.

In 1995, Speer was inducted into the First Fandom Hall of Fame. In 2004, Speer was one of two Worldcon Fan Guests of Honor at NoreasCon 4 in Boston, Massachusetts.

For over 70 years, Speer published his own amateur science fiction fanzine, which encouraged lively debates and demanded a high standard of literacy in the field.