By John Hertz (reprinted from Vanamonde 1612). John Trimble (1936-2024) was one of our greats. He did much for many. His interests were wide.

He co-chaired Westercon XVIII, was Fan Guest of Honor at W19 and W66, and chaired W23. He was twice a Hugo finalist for Best Fanzine; he co-wrote fanzines with Ray Nelson and Bill Rotsler, co-founded the LASFS clubzine De Profundis, co-edited Shangri–L’Affaires in its days of glory; the electronic may see more at “John Trimble”. He was given the Evans-Freehafer, LASFS’ service award, in 1961. He was made a Knight of St. Fantony (see Mimosa 11) in 1970.

In 1960, having served in the Air Force during the Korean War, he married Bĵo Wells (the circumflex over the j, borrowed from Esperanto, indicates pronunciation “bee-joe”), who had been a WAVE; they met under a piano at a Forry Ackerman party; they had three children; he left for After-Fandom just short of their 2⁶ wedding anniversary. Some of what I mention above, and most everything afterward, was with her, so much so that they were sometimes collectively called “Bjohn”.

Bĵo’s Project Art Show began — although she refuses credit for it — Art Shows at SF conventions. John was part of that.

When he and Bĵo heard Star Trek was about to be cancelled (television, 1969), they conducted a letter­writing campaign that saved it. When ST was given a Peabody Institutional Award – just two months after John left us — Alex Kurtzman commended them.

John and Bĵo were active in the costuming community. They were given a lifetime Achievement Award at Costume-Con X in 1992. John was Master of Ceremonies for the Masquerade at LA.con II, the 42nd World Science Fiction Convention; there were over a hundred entries, each seemingly better than the last; when along the way a voice near me in the audience cried “How many more?” John answered in a Voice of Doom, “I won’t tell you.” When I first M.C.’d a Worldcon Masquerade, I thought of him.

Knowing I’d apply it, and even in a sense might almost have written it, John recommended R. Mitchell’s Less Than Words Can Say (1979) to me — Richard Mitchell, the Underground Grammarian (1929-2002). I recommend Less and Mitchell to you.

When our neighboring hobby the Society for Creative Anachronism began, John and Bĵo joined; he served on its Board of Directors, and was made a Baron of its first barony; his arms were the first registered with its College of Heralds. He and Bĵo were advocates, as Bĵo still is, for a far more important neighbor, Space exploration.

They were Fan GoH at Loscon XVI, Fan GoH and MCs at the 13th NASFiC, Fan GoH at the 60th Worldcon — where, arranging Art Show tours, I invited them to lead one; Bĵo (who, when praised for sparking the innumerable letters saving Star Trek, said, “Anyone could have done it” — but no one else did) said “Why us?” I took their tour. They were wonderful.

While living in the San Franciso Bay area they were given the Elves, Gnomes, and Little Men’s Science Fiction, Chowder and Marching Society’s service award (where were the leprechauns? I asked for years). They moved from LA. to a Texas town hearing that living there was cheaper, learned why smaller towns can be cheaper than big cities, and moved back. They earned and were given – which doesn’t always follow, so applause for John and Bĵo’s ability to reach people — many more honors.

As their daughter Lora said, John touched thousands of lives in a way that was positive and full of joy. I’ve never learned whether his middle initial G really stood for “Gryphon”.

Requiescat in pace.

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GLOSSARY. Westercon, the West Coast Science Fantasy Conference; LASFS (rhymes with a Spanglish “mas fuss”); the L.A. Science Fantasy Society motto is De profundis ad astra (Latin, “From the depths to the stars”); Shangri­ L’Affaires, Shangri-La from J. Hilton’s lost Horizon (1933), “LA” for Los Angeles. WAVE, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, in the United States Navy during World War II; women were later accepted into regular service, but the acronym continued into the 1970s. The Masquerade at SF cons, once a dress-up party, has long been our costume competition; for some fine LA.con II entries, see “Late One Night in the Draco Tavern” (can you spot Larry Niven?), “Metropolis” (i.e. the 1927 film), “Night on Bald Mountain”.  NASFiC, the North America Science Fiction Convention, since 1975 held when the Worldcon is overseas. C. Johnson’s Barnaby (1942-1952) has (literary present tense) an Elves, Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Little Men’s Chowder and Marching Society.