Fan historian John Bristol “Jack” Speer died 28 June 2008 at home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born 9 August 1920, he was a lawyer who served one term in the Washington State House of Representatives (1959-61).
In 1939, Speer wrote Up to Now, the first history of science fiction fandom. In 1944, he published Fancyclopedia, a dictionary of fan-speak. And in 2004, NESFA Press published his Fancestral Voices (the cover is pictured at right).
Speer was inducted into the First Fandom Hall of Fame in 1995, and was Fan Guest of Honor at Noreascon 4, the 2004 World Science Fiction Convention.