Fan Guests of Honor

JAMES STANLEY DAUGHTERTY

James loves conventions.   He loves volunteering, sitting fan tables, showing art, talking on panels, partying, throwing parties, and loitering in the hallways ... often at the same convention.   His fanish resume includes being the Secretary for ConJose, Post-Con Treasurer for ConFrancisco, Newsletter Editor for Buccaneer, and Chief Mongoose for Conolulu.   He has even gofered at LosCon.   His current project is leader of the Vice Squad for BayCon 2004.

In his "real" life, James has worked as an archaeologist, postman, technical writer, lab technician, roustabout, van driver, college instructor, wedding photographer, librarian, cat breeder, and international investor.   His wife has given up asking him if he is going to settle down and take up a career.   He has a keen interest in non-profit organizations and has been a founding director of The White Glove Society, Barbar Coast Cats, The Animal Council, the Ultimate Eye Foundation, the Society for the Promotion of Fannish Interests, Inc., and the Peninsula Arts Museum.

His passion over the last two dozen years has been figurative photography.   His work has been featured in a number of art books and has been shown internationally.   He calls himself a post romantic figurative artist, but one wonders if that is just not an excuse for playing in the mud.   He is always looking for new models.   If the concept of taking off your clothes and scampering through the woods appeals toyou, then look him up and ask about a modeling session.   He has exhibited in art shows, run art shows, and had his work banned from them.   He says he is just following his muse.

Academically, James holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and a Master of Fine Arts from the Art Academy of San Francisco.   He has attended over a dozen other colleges and universities.   Overeducated?   Not at all.   He says that some people just need more learnin'.

He also enjoys excursions into ruined abbeys, ancient temples, art galleries, swanky restaurants, obscure bookstores, and Tiki bars.

KATHRYN DAUGHTERTY

Once upon a time a young girl was born in the shadow of a large city known for big shoulders, losing baseball teams, and meat packing plants.   She seemed to be an average little girl who played flute and did her homework.   Until one day she discovered a book in the adult section of the public library.   This is where htey kept the subversive books with concepts too advanced for mere children.   Her mother checked out the book for her and she smuggled it home to read. &bnsp; The book was Robert Heinlein's Have Spacesuit, Will Travel.   This book had so many wonderful concepts that the little girl only wanted to read books just like this one.

The little girls was determined to be an engineer when she grew up - just like her favorite fictional characters.   So she entered the engineering school of a large midwestern university.   she learned to fry transistors and calculate the resitance in mile long power lines.   But her favorite job was feeding punch cards into the huge CDC 6400 computer.   She learned to control and tame this monstrous machine.   After college people paid her well to control their computing machines.

Once at a conference in a tropical city far away, the now grown up little girl met a wonderful man who shared her love of travel and adventure.   In a few short weeks they were married and began to travel the world.   They lived in the deep green forests of the Pacific Northwest.   They lived in a beautiful island nation long before it became famous.   Eventually they both moved to a sunny West Coast Valley where computers were the major occupation of all who lived there.   And throughout this time the now grown woman read fantastic literature with aliens, time travel, and wonderful inventions.

One day the woman said to her husband, "Look, there is going to be a convention in the city Right Next Door for people who love fantastic literature.   Let's go." &bnsp; They went and discovered a new world to explore.   The woman saw people singing.   She had a good voice and thought, "Maybe I could do that too."   The woman saw people with beautiful costumes.   She had a sewing machine and an impressive collection of cloth.   She thought, "I could make a costume some day."   She saw artists and writers and scientists.   "Maybe there is a place for me there," she thought.   But when she was asked to be a door guard for the masquerade, she knew she had found her calling.   She got a ribbon to wear and got to hang out with the people who were actually running the convention.   She began to travel to other conventions to volunteer.   She began to plan other conventions.   One day she was even the Chair of her very own convention.

And that's where you can find her today; sitting behind a fan table, passing out stickers at a room party, or sitting in program ops talking about Programming.

THE END