2016 Strikes Again

[supergee]

Lon Atkins (1942-2016) Guy Lillian said it well enough that I won’t try to improve:

Lon Atkins, lost either yesterday or just this morning, was a titan in our Southern fannish world. His Rebel Award, his Fan GoHship at the DSC, were beautiful if finally inadequate reflections of his contribution to our early days as a regional fandom and our growth into the vibrant and important segment of SFdom we’ve become. He was Official Editor of SFPA for four years and kept it going through its slimmest days. His fabled battles at the Hearts table with his great friend Hank Reinhardt were not only legendary, but entertaining, helping to build the sense of community that marks the region and its game. He did the best apazines — the best-written, the best-reproed, the most comprehensive — I have ever seen. And he was a gentleman.

I am lost in regret. Lon was a mentor and a model for how a good man conducts himself in science fiction fandom. MELIKAPHKAZ forever!