About the DuPage Science Fiction and Fantasy Society

By Lindalee Stuckey and Nick DiMasi

The DuPage Science Fiction and Fantasy Society (DuPage SF&F) has been in existence since (at the latest) June, 1986. There are no officers and no dues (although we ask $5 for a year's worth of monthly flyers via paper mail), just lots of parties. In the history of this group, only twice has there been a month go by without a party, held in someone's home. Usually the party is on the third Saturday of each month, but this varies when there is a local convention or when the "hostoids" choose to hold it on a different weekend.

The group began with a posting on a bulletin board (the paper kind, not the online kind). Inspired by Todd Johnson and Mary Lynn Skirvin-Johnson's original west suburban science fiction fan club (which sadly got off to a bit of a shaky start), Phil Kotula put up a flyer at Capricon (a local SF&F convention) saying that he wanted to have meetings, or parties, in the DuPage County area similar to the venerable "Thursdays" Rogers Park gatherings. Larry Cole and Lindalee (Linde) Stuckey, who were moving to DuPage County, offered to host the first party as soon as they could get an apartment. When Larry and Linde moved in to the Hillcrest Apts. in Glen Ellyn, they met several other fannish couples living there, including Angela Karash and Dave Ifversen, Bill and Trudi Puda and Jan and Nick DiMasi.

Twenty-four people attended that first party in June (1986) and Linde has an autograph book where they all signed in to commemorate the occasion. The next several parties were also held at Larry and Linde's apartment; then Candis Gibbard (now King) hosted one in her townhome. This began a tradition of the party migrating to the domicile of whoever volunteered to have it, and if no one volunteered, Larry and Linde held it by default. Nowadays there are more than a few couples and individuals, besides Larry and Linde, who regularly host the party (including Jan and Nick mentioned above). And, new and occasional "hostoids" volunteer from time to time.

Outside of the parties, we often get together to see genre movies, eat out, and of course go to the local/regional conventions - including, of course, the local convention originally 'hatched' by the above core group, known as DucKon (for DuPage county "Konvention"). The group (led by the married females ;-) threw a baby shower for Linde, and there have been other such baby and wedding showers, birthday parties, Halloween parties (held as the October party), etc. since then. Meanwhile, the monthly parties have remained a major social 'engine' for local fandom; at least several couples have met (formed) at them, and Robert King proposed to Candis (on one knee!) at one of these parties.

Today, DuPage SF&F still parties on. Our gatherings are open to all fans of any stripe, or anyone who likes to party (or can at least tolerate partying ;-) with fen. We ask that you bring your own beverage and a dish/ snack to share. Also, well-behaved children (along with their responsible, well-behaved adult parents/guardians ;-) are usually welcome; we suggest that you check the paper flyer or the Web page here before bringing your kids.