Richard was so important to our small group of enthusiasts way back then—a young fellow, younger than me, who already had far more sense than me—and a strong business sense as well. I wonder how far we would have gone without his guidance, not to mention his VW? The founders of the San Diego Comic-Con were a diverse group, diverse in just the right way to keep momentum going and enthusiasm raging all at the same time. Richard was key to this. I will never forget his towering presence and that ready grin. Here’s to one of our own! And one of our finest.
Greg Bear
Greg Bear was a member of the Woodchucks, a group of science-fiction and comic enthusiasts from San Diego’s Crawford High School who were mentored by Ken Krueger, a publisher, bookstore owner, and member of science fiction’s First Fandom. The Woodchucks joined with the group of comic fans that Richard Alf had helped to gather around Shel Dorf to produce San Diego’s first Comic-Cons in 1970. Since those halcyon days of yore, Greg has become a Hugo and Nebula Award-winnning author about whom you can read more at http://www.gregbear.com/.
