DUFF Delegate da camera

Clare McDonald-Sims visited LASFS' labyrinthine library on July 21. Photo by Marty Cantor.

Clare McDonald-Sims visited LASFS’ labyrinthine library on July 21. Photo by Marty Cantor.

By John Hertz:  Voters earlier this year (including me and maybe you) elected Clare McDonald-Sims the 2016 Down Under Fan fund delegate.  DUFF has now brought her to North America.  On Thursday she attended a meeting of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society.  LASFS has its own clubhouse, so I guess that’s a chamber.  Or maybe I meant we took photographs.

Three DUFF winners in a row -- John Hertz, Clare McDonald-Sims, and Marty Cantor.

Three DUFF winners in a row — John Hertz, Clare McDonald-Sims, and Marty Cantor.

As I write she’s at PulpFest – so Andy Porter was right again.

We have three intercontinental traveling-fan funds.

TAFF (the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund), the senior fund, was founded in 1953. In alternating years it brings over the Atlantic Ocean a fan nominated, and chosen by election, as someone whom fans across the water would like to meet.  The TAFF delegate attends the World Science Fiction Convention if it’s on the receiving side, otherwise the national convention, with any further fannish travel that can be managed, meeting fans, making friends, radiating goodwill, publishing a trip report, and becoming the TAFF Administrator in turn until the next cycle on the delegate’s home side.

DUFF (the Down Under Fan Fund) was founded in 1972, operating likewise between North America and Australia – New Zealand.

I was the DUFF delegate in 2010 and with the blessing attended both Aussiecon IV and the New Zealand natcon.

In 1978 we completed the triangle with GUFF, operating likewise between Australia – New Zealand and Europe – Britain – Eire; southbound it’s the Going Under Fan Fund, northbound it’s the Get Up and over Fan Fund.

The current TAFF delegate is Anna Raftery. The current GUFF delegate is Jukka Halme.

Clare McDonald-Sims is singular, being a McDonald with one A (like Ian McDonald but unlike John D. MacDonald) and a Sims with one M (like Pat & Roger Sims but unlike Virgil Simms).

However, maintaining balance in the multiverse, this was her second visit to the LASFS, and the second time she stood for DUFF. Who can say what brought us to this miracle we’ve found?

Clare on the podium with LASFS officers Kristen Gorlitz (Scribe) and Nick Smith (President). Photo by Marty Cantor.

Clare on the podium with LASFS officers Kristen Gorlitz
(Scribe) and Nick Smith (President). Photo by Marty Cantor.

Of herself she’s said that, when her high-school librarian tired of her asking for reading recommendations and suggested starting with A, Asimov came up, and she never looked back; also she’d attended four Worldcons in four countries and wanted to break that one-for-one streak. So far so good.

At the moment we expect her to be in the Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood until the end of July; then the District of Columbia neighborhood until about August 3rd; then New York (the City That Has Two Names Twice; see above) till the 9th; then Minneapolis (and St. Paul – the twin cities – I keep telling you) till the 16th; then Kansas City and the Worldcon; then home.

You can reach her in care of the North America Acting DUFF Administrator Lucy Huntzinger (assisting Juanita Coulson), <[email protected]> or (650)869-5771 (Pacific Daylight Time).

Huntzinger would also be good for discussing your DUFF-benefit contributions to the Fan Funds Auction at the Worldcon. That will be conducted by Naomi Fisher.

Or you can reach McDonald-Sims by E-mail to <[email protected]>. You know, the year Telemann met Handel.  What’s that?  The number 1701 has some other significance?

Clare McDonald-Sims and Mike Glyer. Photo by Marty Cantor.

Clare McDonald-Sims and Mike Glyer. Photo by Marty Cantor.

2 thoughts on “DUFF Delegate da camera

  1. I have encountered frequent references to a fourth fan fund — MAFF, the Mid-Atlantic Fan Fund, which periodically buys a deserving fan one quarter of a round-trip ticket between Europe and the USA.

    I don’t recall seeing group photos of former winners of this one, though.

  2. Clare is currently visiting us in Abingdon, VA where Fannish meals are being accompanied by Fannish discussion of books, Star Trek, International Fandom, the future of the fan funds, and other matters of momentous import. Later this week we’ll visit World Fantasy Award winning artist Charles Vess in his studio, we’ll climb – or attempt to climb – the tallest mountain on Virginia, and we’ll give the DUFF delegate a bit of down time for decompression before I drive her to Washington, D.C. where she’ll discover the joys of the heat and mugginess of Washington in August. (But while I’m there, I might linger long enough to visit the newly refurbished NCC-1701 at the Air & Space Museum with Clare. ) Two fans have expressed an intrest in meeting her for a dinner while she’s in D.C. At the moment she’s on the net booking hotel rooms for the remainder of her trip. If any fans in Washington D.C., New York, and Minneapolis would like to meet Clare for a lunch or a dinner – and possibly even to offer to host her for a visit, please contact her at the address in John’s article, above.

    Curt Phillips

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