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MEETING OF APRIL 4, 1980 AT BALTICON: TOM SCHAAD PRESIDING.
(R. Oliver reported a Quorum was present)
The meeting was called to order at 9:10. The minutes were read from
the WSFA Journal (the Secretary was absent, being downstairs auctioning
for Baltimore in 83. Rosa Oliver, VP, took the minutes on the brown
wrapper of the WSFA Journal. The treasury stood at $1,335.58.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
DISCLAVE: Films be shown at Disclave include: Pinocchio, Things to
Come (fine original print), Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The
Hobbit, What's Opera Doc?, Duck Amuck, Tom & Jerry cartoons, Tex
Avery cartoons, and OTHERS. So far there were more than 200 advance
registrations.
OLD-NEW BUSINESS: ZIP
Announcements: The date for Philcon was omitted from the notice
in the WSFA Journal. It will be held on November 14-16, 1980.
The meeting was adjourned (time not specified).
MEETING OF APRIL 18, 1980. TOM SCHAAD PRESIDING.
IN ATTENDANCE: (at Berg's)
Rosa Oliver, V.P., Joe Mayhew, Sec., Bill Berg, Treas, Alan Huff,
Trust., Chris Callahan, Trust., Alexis Gilliland, Trust., Jim Jenkins,
Carole Stoddard, Newton Ewell, Troy Farwell, Bill Quick, Scott Dennis,
Bob Oliver, Jane Woodward, Sharon Harris, Bill Mayhew, Robin Mayhew,
Bob Lovell, Ginny McNitt, Elaine Mandell, Beverly Brandt, Janet Lynch,
Janet Prato, Randy Brunk, Mimi Newcastle, Steve Brunk, Walter Miles,
Jon Stewart, John Huff, Kleeo Hondros, Victoria Smith, David Hastie,
Wayne Dionne, Joanna Dionne, John Rubin, Bianca Sanchez, Somtow
Sucharitkul, Linda Melnick, Steve Smith, Lisa Peoples, James Turner,
Pam Keretesty, Laura McNeill, Mark Owings, Judy Newton, Barry Newton,
John Sapienza, Lee Smoire, Peter Theron, Gary Anderson, John Ellis,
Sue Wheeler, Mike Kozlowski, Pat Jones, Phil Cox, Nancy Handwork. (56)
The meeting was called to order at 9:17. The minutes were read and approved. The Treasury stood at $1,335.58.
TRUSTEE'S OFFICIAL SLATE. As provided for in the Constitution
the Trustees met and agreed upon the following slate (this slate does
not preclude any further nominations from the floor at the time of the
elections. All candidates have stated they are willing to be placed in
nomination):
PRESIDENT: Tom Schaad
VICE PRESIDENT: Alexis Gilliland
SECRETARY: Beverly Brandt
TRUSTEES: Bill Mayhew, Alan Huff, Bob Lovell.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
CONSTITUTION: Jane Woodward presented the Proposed Constitution
(Printed in the March Journal) and pointed out certain changes and
differences between it and the current one. Some proposals for
clarification and further development were made By John Sapienza, Dave
Hastie and Scott Dennis. It was agreed That the relationship of the
Disclave Chairman and his supervision of funds should be specified,
using the model of the duties of the Treasurer. The errors in
numbering were noted and those present signed a petition to bring the
proposed constitution to the floor at the Annual meeting (May 2, 1980)
for consideration and possible ratification. 30 members in good
standing signed the petition - exceeding the required 1/3. There were
an additional 12 signatures of those who had presumed they were paid
up, but were found to be behind in their dues at the time of the
review of the petition. The Constitution and Bylaws will be considered
in a special meeting before the Regular Business Meeting.
PUBLICATIONS: The Current Constitution and Proposed Constitution were available to anyone wishing to have copies. The corrected and approved version shall be published in the WSFA Journal which will be mailed to all members in good standing as notification of the Election and Constitutional Consideration.
OTHER BUSINESS: ZIP.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:36 (1 hr, 19 min)
Elaine Mandell James R. Jenkins [censored] [censored] Owings Mills, Md. 21117 Arlington, Va. 22207 (301) 356-4958 (703) 241-2243 Carole A. Stoddard Gary Oleson [censored] [censored] Oxon Hill, Md. 20021 Alexandria, Va. 22303 (301) 839-4790 (703) 960-3774
Somtow Sucharitkul is moving and will have a new address and phone number soon.
The MAY issue of the WSFA Journal will contain a new listing of all members' addresses and phone numbers. Please check with Joe Mayhew, WSFA Secretary to see whether your address in his file is correct.
The Meeting of May 2, 1980 will be the election meeting. Before it, a special Constitutional meeting will be held to vote upon the new constitutional proposal. If this New Constitution is ratified by the required 3/4 of the members in good standing voting at that meeting, the subsequent election and officers elected will be as specified in the new Constitution. Please read it carefully, and if you wish, contrast it to the present Constitution. It is the work of a committee chaired by Jane Woodward which met several times and attempted to draw up a serviceable document which would eliminate certain problems and incongruities which arise out of the present Constitution. You will note that it no longer restricts membership to those living in the Washington, D.C. area, eliminates all privileged memberships, makes the Trustees the membership committee, raises the dues and makes them payable on a yearly rather than quarterly rate. It provides that those who pay late must pay the full amount and those who do not pay within a year are dropped from the WSFA roll and must re-join as a new member if they wish to return to membership. It makes the amendment process more flexible and moves things which should more properly be in the Bylaws into that part of the document. It provides for the election of a Disclave Chairman, at a special election, and the management of WSFA's business by an Executive Board. It permits the Disclave Chairman to also serve as any other single office, and makes the Trustees eligible for any number of terms as with all other officers. It specifies that the trustees shall supervise all elections.
ARTICLE I (NAME)
The organization governed by this Constitution and its bylaws is THE
WASHINGTON SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION, abbreviated WSFA.
ARTICLE II (PURPOSE)
A] WSFA shall exist to bring together those interested in Science
Fiction, Fantasy literature, and other related interests and
activities on a regular basis.
B] WSFA shall sponsor an annual convention called DISCLAVE.
C] None of the net income of WSFA shall inure to the benefit of any of
its individual members.
ARTICLE III (MEMBERSHIP)
A] Membership in WSFA is open to anyone in sympathy with WSFA's stated
purpose.
B] Members shall be admitted and participate in WSFA activities
according to this Constitution and its Bylaws.
C] Only members who are current in their dues shall hold office,
propose business, or vote.
ARTICLE IV (OFFICERS)
A] The Executive board of WSFA shall consist of the following
officers. 1. President, 2. Vice President, 3. Secretary, 4. Treasurer,
5. Three Trustees, 6. Chairman of any Disclave until after it is held.
B] Their election, terms of office, privileges, and duties shall be as
described in the Bylaws.
C] The Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency in the event
that the President cannot fulfill his term.
D] Any other vacancies occurring on the Executive Board shall be
filled by a by-election. 2] Those so elected shall serve for the
remainder of the term of the officer replaced.
E] A petition for the removal of a member of the Executive Board may
be presented to the executive Board in writing at any time. 2] Such
petition must state the grounds for removal and must be signed by at
least 15 Members. 3] If the other officers of the Executive Board
unanimously agree that the removal is justified, they shall suspend
the officer and appoint a temporary replacement. 4] Such action and
the grounds for it shall be mailed to all members. 5] At the first
regular meeting held at least 10 days after such notice, removal
from the Executive Board shall become permanent if approved by a 3/4
majority of the members voting. 6] Any office so vacated shall be
filled as prescribed in Article IV, Section D.
ARTICLE V (MEETINGS)
WSFA shall meet at such places and at such times provided for in the
Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI (AMENDMENTS)
A] Any Proposed amendment to this constitution may be submitted in
writing at any regular meeting of WSFA.
B] Such proposal shall be read to the meeting and be placed on the agenda
for the next meeting. 2] Notice shall be given to the membership.
C] The proposal shall be subject to amendment as any other item of
business.
D] No amendment to this Constitution shall become effective until it
has either been adopted in the same form at two consecutive regular
meetings by 2/3 of those voting or until its written petition has been
signed by 2/3 of the membership.
ARTICLE I (MEMBERSHIP AND DUES)
A] The annual dues shall be $10.00. 2] They shall be due as of the
first regular meeting in June. 3] Dues may be paid in advance. 4]
Any member must pay the full year's dues regardless of the date of
payment. 5] Any member who is delinquent in his dues for an entire
year shall be dropped from the membership list. 6] New members' dues
shall be prorated to the appropriate portion of the remaining WSFA
year.
B] WSFA shall issue annual membership cards to its paid-up members.
C] Anyone wishing to join WSFA must first attend two meetings. 2] at
the second meeting he may apply for membership and be sponsored by
a member. 3] If this application is approved by the Trustees, the
applicant may pay his dues and become a member at the next meeting
he attends.
D] A petition to revoke any membership may be presented in writing at
any regular meeting, 2] It must state the grounds and be signed by at
least 15 members and be communicated to the member concerned at least
10 days before the presentation of the petition for action. 3] It the
petition is approved by a vote of 2/3 of the members present, and
the impeached member has had an opportunity to defend himself, the
petition shall be presented again at a second regular meeting. 4] If
2/3 of the members present vote to revoke the membership this second
time, it is revoked. 5] The revoked member's dues shall be prorated
and the appropriate portion shall be refunded.
ARTICLE II (QUORUM AND VOTING)
A] A quorum shall consist of 15 members which include two officers of
the Executive Board. 2] Such a quorum must be present at any meeting
at which a vote is taken.
B] There shall be no absentee or proxy voting.
ARTICLE III (ELECTIONS)
A] All elections shall be supervised by the Trustees. 2] Any Trustee
who is running for office shall appoint a ballot counter to stand in
for him during the election for any office for which he is a candidate.
2] That stand-in must be acceptable to the other two Trustees.
B] The election of all members of the Executive Board except the
Disclave Chair shall take place during the first regular meeting in
May. Those elected at that meeting shall assume their offices at the
first regular meeting in June.
C] The Trustees shall receive seconded nominations from the floor and
shall announce all candidates in order nominated
D] All elections shall be counted by Australian ballot.
E] The order of nomination and election shall be: 1. President,
2. Vice President, 3. Secretary, 4. Treasurer, 5. Trustee, 6. Trustee,
7. Trustee.
ARTICLE IV (OFFICERS)
A] The President shall 1. preside at all meetings, 2. exercise general
supervision over the properties and activities of WSFA, 3. appoint
members to committees, 5. yield the chair to (1) the Vice President,
or (2) another member, when he wishes to participate in debate.
B] The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President during
the absence of the President.
C] The Secretary shall: 1. keep the minutes of all meetings of the
club, 2. be custodian of all WSFA documents, records, and archival
material, 3. be a member of the publications committee.
D] The Treasurer shall: 1. receive all WSFA funds and maintain them in
an account separate from his own, 2. maintain the official membership
list, 3. pay out funds only when approved by the Executive Board or
the membership by vote. 4. submit his records for audit whenever
requested by the Executive Board or by a petition of 1/3 of the
membership.
E] The Trustees shall, 1. vote on all applications for membership,
2. supervise all elections, 3. prepare a slate of nominations for all
WSFA offices scheduled to be voted upon. 4. announce that slate at
the regular meeting just previous to that of the election. 5. serve
an the Executive Board.
F] The Disclave Chairman shall: 1. be elected at a regular meeting
designated by the membership, 2. be authorized to transact all
necessary business pertaining to the Disclave and to appoint all
its officers, 3. be responsible for all Disclave funds and maintain
them in a separate bank account from that of WSFA, 4. Surrender all
remaining funds after all outstanding debts have been paid for to the
WSFA treasury, 5. submit his records for audit whenever requested
by the Executive Board or by a petition of 1/3 of the membership, 6.
be eligible to hold an office on the Executive Board in addition to
that of Disclave Chair simultaneously, 7. have only one vote on the
Executive Board despite a second office.
ARTICLE V (COMMITTEES)
A] The standing committees shall be: 1. Entertainment, 2. Publications.
B] Special committees may be formed by the President at such times as
deemed necessary.
ARTICLE VI (MEETINGS)
A] WSFA's regular meetings shall occur on the 1st and 3rd Friday of
each month. 2] Special meetings can be called providing advance notice
is given to the membership.
B] The place and time for the next meeting shall be designated by the
Chair before the meeting adjourns.
C] The order of business of all regular meetings shall be: 1. Call
to order, 2. Reading of previous minutes, 3. Reports of Officers,
4. Reports of Committees, 5. Old Business, 6. New business, 7.
Announcements, 8. Adjournment.
ARTICLE VII (ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES)
All procedural questions not covered in the Constitution and Bylaws
shall be decided by reference to Robert's Rules of Order, Revised,
75th Anniversary Edition (1951).
ARTICLE VIII (AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS)
Any proposed amendment to these Bylaws may be submitted in writing at
any regular meeting. 2] Such proposal must be signed by 15 members
before being read at the meeting. 3] A vote shall be taken at the next
regular meeting after the proposal is submitted. 4] Passage shall
require a 2/3 majority of those voting.
(end)
(This proposed Constitution and Bylaws was presented at the April 18, 1980 meeting of WSFA, and printed in the March WSFA Journal, and revised and approved for presentation and possible adoption at the Annual Meeting, by a petition signed by 30 WSFA members in good standing - exceeding the 1/3 required by the present Constitution. Signing: W.Mayhew, R.Oliver, K.Hondros, J.Prato, V.McNitt, V.Smith, J.Sapienza, E.Mandell, J.Newton, C.Callahan, M.Owings, B.Brandt, C.Stoddard, J.Jenkins, M.Kozlowski, J.Mayhew, T.Schaad, S.Wheeler, L.Peoples, P.Jones, A.Gilliland, S.Sucharitkul, M.Newcastle, J.Turner, L.Smoire, B.Newton, A.Huff, W.Quick, P.Cox, P.Oliver. (30)
MCLEAN ORCHESTRA TACKLES SUCHARITKUL'S UNIVERSE
by Claudia Moore
Somtow Sucharitkul is one of the most astonishing, controversial, and colorful artists to come to the United States out of Southeast Asia. He is an avant-garde composer whose most recent major work, Gongula 3, was premiered at Bangkok's Asian Composer's Expo '78 and was called "brilliant" and "stunning" by International Newsweekly Asia Week. A month before the premiere, however, the orchestra went on strike ...
"My piece used traditional Thai instruments and Western instruments in new combinations, new sonorities," Sucharitkul said. "The orchestra decided that I had polluted the Sacredness of the ancient instruments. It took a lot of persuasion to get them to play it... but this didn't seem to bother the critics." The day before the the concert, however, which was at Thailand's National Theater, someone had hidden the piano, and Sucharitkul had to have a new one moved in.
Somtow Sucharitkul is only 27 years old, but his music has been performed in England, Germany, Holland, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, and other countries, and has been televised and broadcast on four continents. Japan's prestigious NHK TV made a documentary about him as he toured Southeast Asia and showed it on prime time. UNESCO has designated him its official Asian music expert, and he was only 19 when he conducted his first orchestra on Dutch National TV. His works include A CATCH OF WATERS for six chamber orchestras surrounding the audience, GONGULA 3 for Thai and Western Instruments, and a new piano piece, LIGHT ON THE SOUND, in which the pianist is required to sing into the piano as well as perform astounding tricks of virtuosity. This last piece will be premiered later this year in four cities by pianist Violet Lam: in Hong Kong, Milan, Rome and Cologne.
The "Sucharitkul Sound", critics say, is a new one, different from the harshness of much modern music. He divides his orchestras into small groups and piles layer after layer on top of each other, tinkling, ringing, energetic sonorities. Often he breaks completely away from the severe restrictions of modern music, introducing almost classical melodic lines that hover plaintively over the atonal textures... sometimes he'll slip into a baroque pavane or a passage of tinkling Southeast Asian music, as though thumbing his nose at the strict seriousness of academic music. "My favorite trick", he says, "is to have it look very stark on paper and then to have it sound very rich ravishing and exotic." Pianist Violet Lam said of his recent piece: "When I saw the score I knew I was going to have to perform acrobatics at the piano. I knew it would be very, very difficult. But only when I started to play did I discover that it was also very, very beautiful."
The McLean Chamber Orchestra, winner of last year's ASCAP Award for adventurous programming, is premiering Somtow Sucharitkul's brand new work, STAR MAKER: IN AN ANTHOLOGY OF UNIVERSES, on June 7th. Even for an orchestra whose dynamic conductor, Dingwall Fleary, has established a name for himself in bringing new works to the concert platform, this work should be quite a challenge. "I admire Dingwall very much," Sucharitkul says. "He didn't flinch at all when I asked him for four toy pianos..."
STAR MAKER is a piece that just grew and grew, Sucharitkul told us. Its five movements are musical depictions of five different theories of the universe, different cosmologies from Plato to Einstein. It's a big piece, despite its brevity. "The first movement is a musical depiction of the theory of the Big Bang... it's obviously a very noisy movement. It goes further, though --- it describes an oscillating universe in which everything finally returns to its source. I did this by making not only the movement, but also every individual musical part a palindrome. It's the most mathematically exact movement, the most academically correct. The platonic universe of the second movement has the strings continually straining for Ideal Beauty, which is represented by a G major chord that is continuously sustained throughout the movement. It also has a part for a shakuhachi or Japanese flute. The third movement---with the toy pianos---is the Mechanistic Universe, which to me is an image of God as a cosmic kid playing with a cosmic Lego set. The fourth---Cosmic Dance---is a pavane. The last movement, Inferno-Purgatorio-Paradiso, is sort of a Reader's Digest condensed version of Dante's Divine Comedy. During the piece, a children's chorus screams, whispers, mutters and moans---but never sings.
"Just as the opening is very, very atonal, so the ending of STAR MAKER is very, very C major indeed..."
When we asked him why, he responded, "Why not? I don't see why I shouldn't do this. In composing school in Europe, the ultimate sin is to have a major chord, or even an octave. But this refinement of post-serialism is the result of centuries of development in the European-American mainstream. I didn't come from that mainstream, and I have to write from my own cultural ambiguity, to forge my own musical language out to the ransackings of whatever musical cultures I encounter."
Sucharitkul writes science fiction in his spare time. He started doing this because one day he found he had a writing block while trying to compose. But within a few months he had taken the publishing scene by storm, too, selling 15 short stories and a novel in the first eighteen months of his second career. His first novel is coming out from Pocket/Simon and Schuster later this year, and he is a frequent cover name in magazines such as Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine. He was a little shy in talking about his sudden appearance in this totally unrelated field, but we got him to admit that he had been nominated for a number of awards in the science fiction field and that the Philadelphia Inquirer, talking about his science fiction, praised him for his "wild imagination and colorful command of language" and called one of his stories "gasp-provoking"!
A strange, manysided artist. Five years ago the Bangkok Post described him as "the most accomplished example of an extremely rare breed...an unusually original composer." But last year a Ford Foundation representative said, much more simply, "He is a genius."
Provided to the WSFA JOURNAL by the McLean Orchestra.
WSFA has had a number of science fiction authors as members or frequenters of the meetings over the many years. Everyone is used to seeing Jack Chalker, Jr., Ted White, Somtow What'shisritkul, Dave Bischoff, and those who drop in now and then like Charles Sheffield, Chris Lampton, Dennis Bailey, or our old members and friends Roger Zelazny, Jay and Joe Haldeman, and so on. But Alexis Gilliland, filthy pro?
We'll soon have to adjust to that too. Sold a book, he did. Not just a book of cartoon, but a book of word. Science Fiction. Y'all going to have to read it, heah?
Where will the Con suite be at DISCLAVE this year? Room C 640, naturally. Tom Schaad and Co. have been working veery hard getting ready planning, getting ads for the program book, gathering program together, pulling rabbits out of envelopes, etc. WHAT ARE YOU DOING DURING DISCLAVE? Having fun. That's the idea, There are lots of ways to have fun. F'rinstance, pitching in and helping to start the merry-go-round. A good con takes many hands to get it going, and keep it going. It is fun to work on them, and there's lots of very different things which need to be done. Working registration you meet lots of new people and old friends and look very important to the uninitiated. Working in the art show can be fun, helping to set it up, break it down, handle the auction sales, running pieces during the auction. It is fun to watch the competition. Bartender by heart? The Con Suite needs you! I've been going to cons off and on since 1961 or so and they're a lot more fun when you're a functioning part of them. Pitch in and increase your fun.
BALTIMORE 83 is cooking along. The last meeting was up at Barry & Judy Newton's in Sandy Spring, Md. Some will remember it for great July 4th picnics. We got together on the back porch with its cast classic clone columns and plotted and schemed to bring the worldcon right here in river city (well, almost). Lee Smoire found a "Mr. Moose" coloring book which she presented to Bob Lovell in a slack moment. It knocked Bob's antlers off. A peek into Scott Dennis's portfolio or attache case is a byzantine holiday. There is more going on in it than in a chinese fire drill. Mike Walsh, Bid Chairman is also Balticon Chairman for 1981. That will probably flavor the 1981 con as the bid will want to make the best impression on fandom it can at Balticon. Best ever, I'll bet. This year went very well indeed. Still, the hotel has not changed its name to the Balticon Valley Inn.
WorldCon is drawing near again. Ask Tom Schaad, President of WSFA and Chairman of DISCLAVE 1980 AND Art Show director of NOREASCON. The last thing mentioned is a BIG JOB. I've run some fairly large art shows, but nothing like what Tom faces. He'll recuperate by doing something rasher. Details from Tom. Speaking of Art Shows, I'm scheduled to run 3 before New Year. Disclave, Unicon, and World Fantasy, I'm working on a system which is not particularly new or original, just written down. It works better when people know in advance what they're supposed to do. Bob Oliver and Walter Miles will be my posse marshals. If you work for the Art Show, all 9 muses will shower you with blessings. If you don't they'll shower you with night soil.
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THE WSFA JOURNAL is the official publication of the Washington Science Fiction Association. It is published monthly under the supervision of the WSFA Secretary and paid for from the WSFA Treasury. Joe Mayhew, Editor, Club Poobah.