Disclave
Disclave was a science fiction convention run by the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) in or near Washington, D.C., in the spring of nearly every year from 1950[1] through 1997. By many counts, it was the third-oldest science fiction convention.
| Disclave | |
|---|---|
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Location(s) | Washington, D.C., area |
| Inaugurated | 1950 |
| Most recent | 1997 |
| Organized by | Washington Science Fiction Association |
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 lasted the three days of Memorial Day weekend. For a notable section of the SF community, that weekend was considered Disclave's; even after the final session, several years passed before a similar mid-Atlantic group (Balticon) began meeting 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 other Guests of Honor have been 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 non-members of Disclave came to the hotel in conjunction with the convention.
In 1997, a fire sprinkler was broken, flooding much of the hotel. Although an investigation determined that neither Disclave nor WSFA were responsible, "the Disclave flood" was forever associated with the convention.[2] 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.[3]
After Disclave, WSFA planned 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
- Warner, Harry (1992). A Wealth of Fable: The History of Science Fiction Fandom in the 1950s (2nd ed.). Van Nuys, Calif.: SCIFI Press. pp. 13–315. ISBN 0-9633099-0-0. OCLC 30380163.
- Nelson, Michael (June 1997). "The Disclave Horror". The WSFA Journal. ISSN 0894-5411. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- "Disclave Flood". Fancyclopedia 3. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.