Disclave

Last updated
Disclave
StatusDefunct
GenreScience fiction
Locations Washington, D.C., area
Inaugurated1950
Most recent1997
Organized by 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 spring of nearly every year from 1950 [1] through 1997. By many counts, it was the third-oldest science fiction convention.

Contents

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, the convention attracted increasing numbers of non-members.

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. The 1997 convention 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-DaysSiteStateFeatured GuestsChairAttendance
1950 4 30Wardman ParkDC Willy Ley Bob Briggs75
1951 4 29StatlerDC Sam Moskowitz Bob Briggs23
1952 None
1953 3 22StatlerDC"Proxyclave"Bob Briggs22
1954 None
1955 None
1956 None
1957 None
1958 5 10-11Arva MotelVANoneBob Pavlat65
1959 5 16-17Diplomat MotelDCNoneBob Pavlat65
1960 5 21-22Diplomat MotelDCNone George H. Scithers
1961 5 13-14Diplomat MotelDCNone George H. Scithers 40
1962 5 12-13Diplomat MotelDCNone George H. Scithers 32
1963 None
1964 None
1965 5 8-9Howard Johnson's WheatonMDChris and Sam Moskowitz Banks Mebane83
1966 5 13-15Diplomat MotelDC Roger Zelazny Jay Haldeman 99
1967 5 12-14Regency CongressDC Jack Gaughan Jay Haldeman
1968 5 10-12Regency CongressDC Robert Silverberg Jay Haldeman
1969 5 09-11Skyline InnDC Lester del Rey Jay Haldeman
1970 5 15-17Skyline InnDC Murray Leinster Jay Haldeman
1971 5 28-31 Shoreham Hotel DC Terry Carr Jay Haldeman
1972 5 26-29Sheraton ParkDC Ben Bova Jay Haldeman
1973 5 25-28Sheraton ParkDC Gardner Dozois Jay Haldeman
1974 5 24-27Sheraton ParkDC Kelly Freas Alexis Gilliland 284
1975 5 23-26Sheraton ParkDC Gordon Dickson Alexis Gilliland 360
1976 5 28-31Sheraton ParkDC William Tenn Alexis Gilliland 675
1977 5 27-30Sheraton ParkDC Joe Haldeman Alexis Gilliland 850
1978 5 26-29Sheraton ParkDC Bob (Wilson) Tucker Alexis Gilliland 1005
1979 5 25-28Sheraton ParkDC Roger Zelazny/Michael Whelan Alan Huff1485
1980 5 23-26Hospitality HouseVAJeanne and Spider Robinson Tom Schaad
1981 5 22-25Sheraton NationalVA Isaac Asimov Alexis Gilliland 1400
1982 5 28-31Sheraton NationalVA Elizabeth Lynn/Tom Miller Jack Chalker/Eva Whitley
1983 5 27-30Marriott TwinBrVA George R. R. Martin/Jack Gaughan Alan Huff1100
1984 5 25-28New CarrolltonMD Connie Willis/Paul YurekJane Wagner900
1985 5 24-27New CarrolltonMD Ed Bryant/Bob Walters Michael J. Walsh
1986 5 23-26New CarrolltonMD William Gibson/Steve Stiles Jack Heneghan
1987 5 22-25New CarrolltonMD Gene Wolfe/Barclay Shaw Joe Mayhew1350
1988 5 27-30New CarrolltonMD Barbara Hambly/Jim Burns Tom Schaad1350
1989 5 26-29New CarrolltonMD Lucius Shepard/J.K.PotterMichael J. Walsh
1990 5 25-28New CarrolltonMD Mike Resnick/Dawn Wilson/Somtow Sucharitkul/Marty GearEva Whitley1300
1991 5 24-27New CarrolltonMD Lewis Shiner/Alicia Austin Peggy Rae Pavlat1200
1992 5 22-25Washington HiltonDC Pat Cadigan/Thomas Kidd Michael J. Walsh/Covert Beach
1993 5 28-31Dulles MarriottVA Katherine Kurtz/Patricia DavisCovert Beach835
1994 5 27-30Sheraton Tysons CornerVA Lois M. Bujold/Steven Johnson/Darlene P. ColtraneJohn Peacock/Paula Lewis
1995 5 26-29TechworldDC Charles Sheffield/Bob Eggleton/David Bischoff Dan Hoey
1996 5 24-27Capitol Hill HyattDC Michael Swanwick/Hannah ShaperoBob MacIntosh623
1997 5 23-26New CarrolltonMD Patricia Anthony/Lissanne Lake/Peggy Rae PavlatMichael Nelson850
1998 None Terry Bisson/Gene Wolfe/Nicholas JainschiggJoe Mayhew0
1999 NoneSam Pierce0
2000 NoneCovert Beach0

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Nelson, Michael (June 1997). "The Disclave Horror". The WSFA Journal. ISSN   0894-5411 . Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Disclave Flood". Fancyclopedia 3. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.