Difference between revisions of "Bill Higgins"

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[[Chicago]]-area [[fan]] '''Bill Higgins''' (more formally, '''William Skeffington Higgins''') is a leading light of [[Midwest fandom]], where his always-smiling face with its chinstrap beard is a frequent sight at [[cons]], typically surrounded by a bevy of friends and acquaintances. He commonly uses '''Beam Jockey''' as an online sobriquet.
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[[Chicago]]-area [[fan]] '''Bill Higgins''' (more formally, '''William Skeffington Higgins''') is a leading light of [[Midwest fandom]], where his always-smiling face with its chinstrap beard is a frequent sight at [[cons]], typically surrounded by a bevy of friends and acquaintances. He commonly uses '''Beam Jockey''' as an online sobriquet.
  
 
A radiation safety physicist by profession, with a long career at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Higgins frequently speaks on science-[[track]] [[panels]] at cons. He is an occasional [[fanwriter]] and [[fanhistorian]] and can sometimes be found playing the baritone ukelele at [[filksings]].  
 
A radiation safety physicist by profession, with a long career at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Higgins frequently speaks on science-[[track]] [[panels]] at cons. He is an occasional [[fanwriter]] and [[fanhistorian]] and can sometimes be found playing the baritone ukelele at [[filksings]].  
  
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He belongs to [[General Technics]] and was a regular at [[Thursday]]. Higgins contributes to Live Journal with "Eponymously Yours, W. Skeffington Higgins," where he used to post on [[fannish]] topics.  
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He belongs to [[General Technics]] and was a regular at [[Thursday]]. Higgins contributed to Live Journal with "Eponymously Yours, W. Skeffington Higgins," where he used to post on [[fannish]] topics.  
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Along with [[Barry Gehm]], Higgins wrote the [[filksong]] “Home On LaGrange (The L5 Song)” first published in ''CoEvolution Quarterly'' (1978).
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In the 1980s, Higgins, Gehm and [[Renee Sieber]] organized a [[Moopsball]] game involving [[fans]] from all over the [[Midwest]]. [[Steve Johnson]] provided equipment for the game with the unwitting participation of the DePaul University athletic department. The Michigan State University team, The [[Arthur Conan Doyle#Professor Challenger|Professor George Edward Challenger]] Memorial Tectonic Plate Pushing and Freestyle Dinosaur Wrestling Team, prevailed.
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He is married to fellow fan [[Kelley Mathews]].
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*[https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/ Higgins on Dreamwidth]. (From 2004 to 2017, he blogged as user Beamjockey on Livejournal, but later copied his blog to Dreamwidth.)
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*[https://sfbios.com/bios/bill_higgins_windycon1993.html 1993 Windycon bio.]
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=Higgins's Lives of the Fans=
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From time to time, Higgins has been asked to write [[biographical]] essays for [[Guests of Honor]], each published in the [[program book]] of a [[convention]].  He reprinted many of these in his blog, collected under the title "[https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/tag/higgins%27s+lives+of+the+fans Higgins's Lives of the Fans]," including an introduction, "[https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/170477.html On the Convention Program-Book Biography.]"
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Subjects include:
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{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
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|+ Higgins's Lives of the Fans
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|-
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! Guest of Honor !! Link to essay !! Convention
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|-
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| [[Alice Bentley]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/170697.html Bio Essay] || [[Capricon 30]]
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|-
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| [[Phil Foglio]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/171050.html Bio Essay] || [[WindyCon 36]]
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|-
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| [[Steve Collins]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/172872.html Bio Essay] || [[DucKon_VIII|Duckon 8]]
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|-
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| [[Mary Lynn Skirvin|Mary Lynn Skirvin Johnson]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/173772.html Bio Essay] || [[MuseCon|Musecon 0]]
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|-
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| [[Jo Walton]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/174120.html Bio Essay] || [[DucKon_XV|DucKon XV]]
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|-
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| [[Tullio Proni]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/174598.html Bio Essay] || [[DucKon IV]]<ref>This essay was not published in the [[DucKon IV]] [[program book]].</ref>
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|-
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| [[Steven Silver]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/181185.html Bio Essay] || [[FenCon_VIII|Fencon VIII]]
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|-
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| [[Hugh Daniel]]|| [https://beamjockey.dreamwidth.org/186372.html Bio Essay] || [[Windycon 38]]
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|}
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{{recognition}}
 
{{recognition}}
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* 1980 -- [[Whatcon II]]
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* 1980 -- [[Toastmaster]] at [[Whatcon II]]
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* 1987 -- [[Conquistador IV]]
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* 1987 -- [[ConQuistador IV]]
 
* 1990 -- [[Millennicon -11]]
 
* 1990 -- [[Millennicon -11]]
 
* 1990 -- [[ConClave 15]]
 
* 1990 -- [[ConClave 15]]
 
* 1993 -- [[Windycon XX]]
 
* 1993 -- [[Windycon XX]]
 
* 1993 -- [[DucKon 2]]
 
* 1993 -- [[DucKon 2]]
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* 1996 -- [[Nanocon 8]]
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* 1996 -- [[Nanocon (MI)|Nanocon]] 8
 
* 1998 -- [[Congenial 9]]
 
* 1998 -- [[Congenial 9]]
 
* 1990 -- [[Capricon 10]]
 
* 1990 -- [[Capricon 10]]
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* 2007 -- [[Moonbase ConFusion]]
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* 2007 -- [[MoonBase ConFusion]]
 
* 2013 -- [[DucKon 22]]
 
* 2013 -- [[DucKon 22]]
 
* 2014 -- [[Boskone 51]]
 
* 2014 -- [[Boskone 51]]
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* 2022 -- [[Windycon 48]] [[Science GoH]]
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<references />
  
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{{person | website=http://beamjockey.livejournal.com}}
 
  
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{{person | born=1954 |locale=Aurora, IL}}
 
[[Category:fan]]
 
[[Category:fan]]
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[[Category:nickname]]
 
 
[[Category:US]]
 
[[Category:US]]

Latest revision as of 13:29, 14 November 2023

(January 12, 1954 –)

Chicago-area fan Bill Higgins (more formally, William Skeffington Higgins) is a leading light of Midwest fandom, where his always-smiling face with its chinstrap beard is a frequent sight at cons, typically surrounded by a bevy of friends and acquaintances. He commonly uses Beam Jockey as an online sobriquet.

A radiation safety physicist by profession, with a long career at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Higgins frequently speaks on science-track panels at cons. He is an occasional fanwriter and fanhistorian and can sometimes be found playing the baritone ukelele at filksings.

He belongs to General Technics and was a regular at Thursday. Higgins contributed to Live Journal with "Eponymously Yours, W. Skeffington Higgins," where he used to post on fannish topics.

Along with Barry Gehm, Higgins wrote the filksong “Home On LaGrange (The L5 Song)” first published in CoEvolution Quarterly (1978).

In the 1980s, Higgins, Gehm and Renee Sieber organized a Moopsball game involving fans from all over the Midwest. Steve Johnson provided equipment for the game with the unwitting participation of the DePaul University athletic department. The Michigan State University team, The Professor George Edward Challenger Memorial Tectonic Plate Pushing and Freestyle Dinosaur Wrestling Team, prevailed.

He is married to fellow fan Kelley Mathews.

Higgins's Lives of the Fans[edit]

From time to time, Higgins has been asked to write biographical essays for Guests of Honor, each published in the program book of a convention. He reprinted many of these in his blog, collected under the title "Higgins's Lives of the Fans," including an introduction, "On the Convention Program-Book Biography."

Subjects include:

Higgins's Lives of the Fans
Guest of Honor Link to essay Convention
Alice Bentley Bio Essay Capricon 30
Phil Foglio Bio Essay WindyCon 36
Steve Collins Bio Essay Duckon 8
Mary Lynn Skirvin Johnson Bio Essay Musecon 0
Jo Walton Bio Essay DucKon XV
Tullio Proni Bio Essay DucKon IV[1]
Steven Silver Bio Essay Fencon VIII
Hugh Daniel Bio Essay Windycon 38


Awards, Honors and GoHships:

____

  1. ↑ This essay was not published in the DucKon IV program book.


Person 1954—
This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc. See Standards for People and The Naming of Names.

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