More Awards That Aren't Mine

Monday Photo Shoot: John Scalzi posted a picture of his major award. Take a picture of an award or plaque or certificate.

I concur! Post them over at Mavarin's site -- or post them here (or post them in both places!). With her permission, I'll post links on Thursday.

Does that first paragraph look familiar? It should. I posted it last night. Today, John Scalzi did me the honor of using my Monday Photo Shoot idea for his "Ersatz Monday Photo Shoot (on Tuesday)." He even sent people over this way. Heck, had I realized that was coming, I'd have taken the time to try again for a decent photo.

In any case, this is my chance to upgrade last night's photo and add some new ones here.

Back: Joe Haldeman, Kelly Link, Gordon Van Gelder
(for Carol Emshwiller), William F. Nolan;
Middle Right: Harlan Ellison;
Front: Holly Black, Michael Cassutt (for Joss Whedon)

No, I wasn't at LA Con / Worldcon, where John Scalzi won his John W. Campbell Award as part of the Hugo Awards ceremony. This is a shot from the other major science fiction and fantasy awards, the Nebula Awards. I can't quite name everyone here, but the man on the left is Joe Haldeman, the bearded guy is Gordon Van Gelder (accepting an award for someone else), one of the women is Holly Black and the man next to Van Gelder, William F. Nolan, wrote Logan's Run. (This is as far as I got before looking the rest up in an sf photo archive for the caption).

I attended the Nebula Awards Weekend in Tempe in May, pretty much to see my old acquaintance and matchmaker, Harlan Ellison (the guy with the red tie), accept his Grand Master Award. The Nebulas are voted on by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). The Hugos and the Campbell Award are voted by professionals and fans, specifically attending and non-attending members of Worldcon, an annual sf convention that is held in a different city and region each year. This year it was in Los Angeles. The Nebula Awards Weekend also jumps around.



My mom had a few awards and honors over the years, but the ones I know about for sure, other than the books she was listed in, are the two awards shown here. Mom and a friend drove all the way from the Florida Space Coast to Hamilton, NY to accept this Colgate Award for Conspicuous Community Service. It was a bit of a lifeime achievement award: by then, her days with the Mental Health Association, Wagon Wheel and other charities were pretty much behind her. Still, I think it was well deserved. No, wait. That's not right. This award is dated 1973, when my parents were still married and living in Manlius, and Mom was still doing a lot of charity stuff. She must have made a trip to Colgate in the early 1980s for some other reason. Another award, perhaps? It's a shame that it's too late to ask her about this.

In the 1980s, my mom wrote three one act plays about me and my friend Joel, none of which I've ever read or seen performed. The first of them, Valedictory, took first place in the Indian River Players Festival of One-Act Plays for 1986. I think the second or third one placed but did not take the top prize.

This bowling trophy sits forlornly in the corner of the window sill in the Accounting Department at work. It doesn't even have a person's real name on it.

That's all, folks! If I ever win a physical award myself, you'll see it when it happens.

Karen

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