- Disclave
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Disclave Status Defunct Genre Science fiction Location Washington, DC, area First held 1950 Last held 1997 Organizer Washington Science Fiction Association Disclave was a science fiction convention run by the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) in or near Washington D.C. in the springtime of nearly every year from 1950 [1] through 1997. By many counts it was the third-oldest science fiction convention.
At first it was intermittent and small, with an attendance as low as 22 people (in 1953). From 1965 on it happened every year. From 1971 on it always lasted three days, was always on Memorial Day weekend, and for a notable section of the SF community that weekend was considered Disclave's, so much so that it was only after several years of there being no Disclave that another local organization (Balticon) asked if they could use that weekend and are now on Memorial Day.
The highest attendance was 1485 (in 1979), 85 more members than in 1981 when Isaac Asimov was the Guest of Honor. Some of the other Guests of Honor included Lois McMaster Bujold, Gene Wolfe, George R. R. Martin, Connie Willis and William Gibson. Notable chairs were Jay Haldeman, Alexis A. Gilliland and Jack Chalker.
In the early 1990s more and more people who were not members of Disclave came to the hotel in conjunction with the convention. This hit critical mass in 1997 when a fire sprinkler was broken, flooding much of the hotel. Although an investigation determined that neither Disclave nor WSFA was held responsible for this event it became known as 'the Disclave flood' and forever associated with the convention. The 1998 Disclave, scheduled for a different hotel on a different weekend, was canceled six weeks before the convention by the hotel. 1997 was the last Disclave.
WSFA took advantage of the period after Disclave to discuss and plan the structure and focus of their next convention. The first Capclave was held in 2001.
List of Disclaves
Year-Mo-Days Site State Featured Guests Chair Attendance 1950 4 30 Wardman Park DC Willy Ley Bob Briggs 75 1951 4 29 Statler DC Sam Moskowitz Bob Briggs 23 1952 None 1953 3 22 Statler DC "Proxyclave" Bob Briggs 22 1954 None 1955 None 1956 None 1957 None 1958 5 10-11 Arva Motel VA None Bob Pavlat 65 1959 5 16-17 Diplomat Motel DC None Bob Pavlat 65 1960 5 21-22 Diplomat Motel DC None George H. Scithers 1961 5 13-14 Diplomat Motel DC None George H. Scithers 40 1962 5 12-13 Diplomat Motel DC None George H. Scithers 32 1963 None 1964 None 1965 5 8-9 Howard Johnson's Wheaton MD Chris and Sam Moskowitz Banks Mebane 83 1966 5 13-15 Diplomat Motel DC Roger Zelazny Jay Haldeman 99 1967 5 12-14 Regency Congress DC Jack Gaughan Jay Haldeman 1968 5 10-12 Regency Congress DC Robert Silverberg Jay Haldeman 1969 5 09-11 Skyline Inn DC Lester del Rey Jay Haldeman 1970 5 15-17 Skyline Inn DC Murray Leinster Jay Haldeman 1971 5 28-31 Shoreham Hotel DC Terry Carr Jay Haldeman 1972 5 26-29 Sheraton Park DC Ben Bova Jay Haldeman 1973 5 25-28 Sheraton Park DC Gardner Dozois Jay Haldeman 1974 5 24-27 Sheraton Park DC Kelly Freas Alexis Gilliland 284 1975 5 23-26 Sheraton Park DC Gordon Dickson Alexis Gilliland 360 1976 5 28-31 Sheraton Park DC William Tenn Alexis Gilliland 675 1977 5 27-30 Sheraton Park DC Joe Haldeman Alexis Gilliland 850 1978 5 26-29 Sheraton Park DC Bob (Wilson) Tucker Alexis Gilliland 1005 1979 5 25-28 Sheraton Park DC Roger Zelazny/Michael Whelan Alan Huff 1485 1980 5 23-26 Hospitality House VA Jeanne and Spider Robinson Tom Schaad 1981 5 22-25 Sheraton National VA Isaac Asimov Alexis Gilliland 1400 1982 5 28-31 Sheraton National VA Elizabeth Lynn/Tom Miller Jack Chalker/Eva Whitley 1983 5 27-30 Marriott TwinBr VA George R. R. Martin/Jack Gaughan Alan Huff 1100 1984 5 25-28 New Carrollton MD Connie Willis/Paul Yurek Jane Wagner 900 1985 5 24-27 New Carrollton MD Ed Bryant/Bob Walters Michael J. Walsh 1986 5 23-26 New Carrollton MD William Gibson/Steve Stiles Jack Heneghan 1987 5 22-25 New Carrollton MD Gene Wolfe/Barclay Shaw Joe Mayhew 1350 1988 5 27-30 New Carrollton MD Barbara Hambly/Jim Burns Tom Schaad 1350 1989 5 26-29 New Carrollton MD Lucius Shepard/J.K.Potter Michael J. Walsh 1990 5 25-28 New Carrollton MD Mike Resnick/Dawn Wilson/Somtow Sucharitkul/Marty Gear Eva Whitley 1300 1991 5 24-27 New Carrollton MD Lewis Shiner/Alicia Austin Peggy Rae Pavlat 1200 1992 5 22-25 Washington Hilton DC Pat Cadigan/Thomas Kidd Michael J. Walsh/Covert Beach 1993 5 28-31 Dulles Marriott VA Katherine Kurtz/Patricia Davis Covert Beach 835 1994 5 27-30 Sheraton Tysons Corner VA Lois M. Bujold/Steven Johnson/Darlene P. Coltrane John Peacock/Paula Lewis 1995 5 26-29 Techworld DC Charles Sheffield/Bob Eggleton/David Bischoff Dan Hoey 1996 5 24-27 Capitol Hill Hyatt DC Michael Swanwick/Hannah Shapero Bob MacIntosh 623 1997 5 23-26 New Carrollton MD Patricia Anthony/Lissanne Lake/Peggy Rae Pavlat Michael Nelson 850 1998 None Terry Bisson/Gene Wolfe/Nicholas Jainschigg Joe Mayhew 0 1999 None Sam Pierce 0 2000 None Covert Beach 0 References
- ^ A Wealth of Fable, The history of science fiction fandom in the 1950s by Harry Warner (SCIFI Press, ISBN 0-9633099-0-0 (2nd edition), pg 13-315
External links
Categories:- Culture of Washington, D.C.
- American science fiction conventions
- Recurring events established in 1950
- 1997 disestablishments
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