Vodoso

(November 29, 1924 – January 5, 1978)

Virgil (Roger) Douglas Smith, nicknamed by Esperanto initialism Vodoso, was a fan and fan artist from Los Angeles active in the late 1930s when he was barely teenaged, son of the Big Name femmefan Morojo. He was a member of the LASFL from at least mid-1937 and of the UK's Science Fiction Association (SFA), joining in July 1937 together with "all" Angelenos. Claims that he was a member, let alone a contributor of FAPA remain unsubstantiated by archives, indexes, let alone actual zines.

He drew the hectographed cover on the first issue of Imagination! (October 1937).

He was profiled in Imagination! #8 (May 1938), the following all sic (see Ackermanese):

Vodoso is derived from th Esperanto initials of Virgil Douglas Smith, son of Myrtle R. Douglas (Morojo).
Bsides, naturly, th SFL, Vodoso is mem th S-FA & FAPA. He contribs to th FAPA as artist. He dsignd Madge's first covr. His favorit subjects to draw r futur aeroplanes, rokets & spaceships.
Skylark of Space, told to him by Unc, aroused his intrest in stf. Has best njoyd th Skylark series & Morey-Wade-Areotales, EESmith & Campbell Jr being his best-liked authrs.
Pet Peeve: Dr Keller. 'Wen a story by him apears I don’t read it & I don't read th story bfor it & I don’t read th story aftr it!'
Nearst nown LA rivalr of 4E's record of 10 times on Things to Come, havng seen it (his favorit scientifilm) 8 times. Raymond Massey masculin film fave in compny with Karloff & Warren William; only lady he seems to like is Annabella.
Top mag, AS—F; ilustrater, Wesso.
Atheist. Pacifist. Favors mentl telepathy over Esperanto apathy.
Xtrovert. Optomist. Habitual xpresion: 'I don't get it.
Ambition: To b electricl ngineer

By 1940 he stopped (or Morojo decided, as he still was not of age) using his father's surname and went by Virgil Roger Douglas. He married Lucille Linn Fox in August 1947; by then he worked as "draftsman" in "metals" industry and lived at 643 South Bixel Street but seems to have gafiated.

An obituary/memoir by Forrest J Ackerman appeared in Science Fiction Chronicle #94, July 1987 saying he 'just learned of [Smith's] death some years ago'.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

Nickname of Virgil Douglas Smith, son of Morojo and artist for Madge.

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/971G-7B7 with several photos (free registration required]
• A 1940 photo

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Person

1924—1978

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