Contributors

Name Biography
Dale Adams

No bio

Dick Ahrens Like many Mensans, Dick has done a little of this, a little of that, and has had the opportunities to travel the world doing them. In between his other projects, Dick has collected and toured with old Bentley cars..
L. Allinikov LIANA ALLINIKOV is both an editor and a technical writer. She lives and works in Yellow Springs, OH.
James Almblad Backpack traveler JAMES ALMBLAD lives in Portland, OR, where he is into futurism and solar energy.
Donald Altschul Poet DONALD ALTSCHUL hides out during the day as a San Francisco attorney, where he lives with his wife, son, and a poodle, Binky. He is a transplanted New Yorker who also plays classical guitar.
Richard Amyx Dick has been quite active in San Francisco Regional Mensa as well as the national organization. He is a writer and technologist who lives with his wife, Meredy Mullen Amyx, in San Jose. Popular convention is that when referring to the Family Amyx, they are known collectively as The Amyses.
Joseph Antonitis Hi is a professor of psychology and former associate of B. F . Skinner, writes us that he composed the piece "The Lions and the Fire" to ask what animals might make of a city being bombed. He adds: "Having been in one, I have a fixation about war."
Kenneth Balliet Computer maven KENNETH BALLIET is an engineering manager with the FedGov. He has written pieces for the Commodore computer user's magazine, as well as Mother Earth News and the Mensa Bulletin.
Loy Banks Poet LOY BANKS, an English professor, writes us that he lives in a house he built, along with two dogs. He adds, "I hike, bird, and play tennis when the weather is right." That's alright, Loy; we won't tell your students that you used "bird" as a verb.
Mason Barrett MASON BARRETT sent us a note saying "I've never written anything before, but I finally decided to give it a try." We assume that, as with many other would-be authors, he equated "writing" with "writing for publication." But see how easy it was?
Hillary Bartholomew Poet HILLARY BARTHOLOMEW lists among her occupations drug counselor, bronco buster, tarot reader, and bookie. She also enjoys scuba diving and lives with 23 cats.
Larry Bernard He writes us that his current line of work is "operating electric streetcars, modern and historic, for the San Francisco Municipal Railway."
Kevin Boon Kevin Boon is an Associate Professor at Penn State, where he teaches film, writing, and literature, and coordinates the English baccalaureate program on the Mont Alto campus. Kevin has published numerous scholarly and creative works, including novels, screenplays, and stage plays. He has the author of award-winning short fiction and poetry, a skilled musical composer and artist, and has performed in a number of productions for the stage and screen.
Phyllis Bourne Phyllis is a charming story-teller, is known for her fiery Latin American cooking, and is past Program Chair for SFRM.
Bill Brantner Reader BILL BRANTNER submitted the vignette "A True Story..." as "a true story offered in dignified serenity." When not battling his wife for possession of THE ECPHORIZER he lives quietly in Chandler, AZ.
Darrell Bross Darrell Bross has had a rather colorful and positive impact on SFRM, having served in various volunteer positions, including Archivist and serving on the "Promise of Mensa" committee.
Cory Brown Poet CORY BROWN has taught literature and creative writing at Oklahoma State and Cornell. He lists among his accomplishments his publication in a journal called Eat It Alive and his raising a pig named Oscar.
Jerry Bryson Theologist JERRY BRYSON is the coordinator of the Mensa Esperanto SIG. He lives in Richmond, VA.
Lupus Canus Canus' true identity is known only to the editor George Towner and all he will say is that Canus had paramount (or was that "paramour) reasons for hiding behind the cloak of anonymity.
Barbara Jeanne Caravello Barbara Jeanne Caravello is an artist for a New York publisher. She writes that one of her reasons for enjoying this magazine is her belief that srcasm can become "a skill to be finely honed."
Perr Cardestam Perr Cardestam, our metric maven ("metric nut," he writes), is a computer engineer who reads or speaks a dozen languages. He sang with the Honolulu Opera for four years.
Robert T. Casey He lives and works in Connecticut. His poems and articles have appeared in the Mensa Bulletin and Country Club Golfer, among other places.
D. Castleman Poet D. CASTLEMAN lives in Mill Valley, CA, the center of the famous Marin County lifestyle.
Mark Chaet MARK CHAET, who claims to be visited now and again by gigantic disembodied hands, lives in — you guessed it! — Los Angeles.
T. S. Child ...was Editor of a remarkable little magazine called The Monthly Independent Tribune Times Journal Post Gazette News Chronicle Bulletin in the mid-1980s.
CITO The person behind the pen name CITO writes us that he (it?) is "my alter- ego, the other side of my do-it-yourself Tinkertoy schizophrenia."
Sir Arthur Conan Fish Did you have difficulty guessing that SIR ARTHUR CONAN FISH is a pseudonym? The author wrote "The Adventure of the Mensa Society" as an exercise in style — more of a Shaggy Sherlock story than a thriller. Old friends of Baker Street may recognize some familiar scenes.
Kim Cooper Kim Cooper, a unicorn aficionado was the person we thanked for organizing and running the Vintage '83 Regional Gathering.
James A. Costello Punster James A. Costello lives in Delaware and edits En Passant / Poetry, a magazine of art and verse.
John Cumming john served as a medic in the Vietnam War then returned to Silicon Valley where he has worked as a tchnical writer and programmer at a number of Valley firms. In the 70s - 90s, John held many appointed and elected positions in local and national Mensa - notably as editor of the SFRM newletter Intelligencer and Local Secretary of SFRM, as well as serving as Regional Vice Chair for a number of years. John enjoys a good game of chess and likes nothing better than to curl up and read ancient or niche dictionaries, many of which are reviewed in these pages.
Sharon Dario Sharon Dario was a student at Oxford's Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, graduated from the University of California, Davis, where she studied English. In between writing poetry she has worked at various staff positions in the Rhetoric and Philosophy Departments at Davis, and will retire in 2007.Among her avocations she lists nature photography and bicycling.
Graham Davies-Smith Poet GRAHAM DAVIES-SMITH, who lives in Oatley, Australia, ran across a migrating copy of THE ECPHORIZER and promptly wrote to us. He is the Mensa secretary for New South Wales.
Lionel de Maine Born in Zimbabwe and having cut his teeth at such premier Silicon Valley firms as ROLM, Lionel quit the technology industry to write literary fiction. At the national level he has won the Willamette Award for fiction and reached the finals in the New Letters fiction contest. He received first prizes in fiction and poetry in de Anza College contests and a third prize in the Palo Alto Weekly's 2001 annual fiction contest. In the works is a collection of short stories titled African Exposure. In 1999 he established the Peter & Jean de Maine Fiction Award as a memorial to his parents.
Delia De Santis DELIA DE SANTIS, a Canadian who writes us from Brights Grove, Ontario, has actually been a part-time grocery and department store demonstrator; hence her pieces are drawn from experience.
John DeRose New Yorker John DeRose is a management consultant and "financial advisor to 'little' people." Before wrestlng with the national economy, he was a judo instructor.
Tim Donovan Jr. Apocalyptist TIM DONOVAN Jr. writes messages to us on the insides of envelopes. We're still not quite sure how he gets them there.
Tony Dowden Programmer and all-around computer guru TONY DOWDEN hangs out in Silicon Valley with his five computers. At one point he owned the longest Rolls Royce in America. Other than that, he is your typical American apple-pie hacker.
James Doyle JAMES DOYLE is a teacher of creative writing and poetry at the University of Northern Colorado. He previously held the unpoetic post of Administrative Assistant to the Governor of Wisconsin.
Albert Duro For the past 11 years Albert Duro has been managing the computer network of a small municipality in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that, he's done just about everything: programmer; janitor; library page; political operative; ranch hand; newspaper reporter/editor; busboy; salesclerk; assembly line worker, etc...
David Durst Dave Durst joined SFRM in late 1979 and got a life membership back when they were cheap. He served as Treasurer for SFRM as well as with the Asilomar and Wine Country Regional Gatherings. Other service within SFRM was as Ombudsman and East Bay Area Secretary. He lost everything, including a naked lady, in the great Oakland Fire of 1991.
John Ehrman Malaprop fancier John Ehrman sings with the Schola Cantorum when not pushing bytes for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. His malaprops published in several issues of The Ecphorizer were copied from post-its on his office door.
Norman Finson Off-the-wall storyteller NORMAN FINSON is also a professional auctioneer, playwright, composer, singer... you name, he's done it.
A. Fish Andy Fish, our staff mascot, and others in his school is the name used when authors (usually one G. Towner) wish to cloak their identity as the writer of certain inappropriate fish stories. All of Andy's aliases are listed under Andy's name. Otherwise we'd run out of room in the Contributors list!
Elmo Fish ELMO FISH (our generic name for anonymous contributors) surfaces again in this issue with another outrage. He swims with his own personal style, ever resisting the bait of conscience and the lures of literary propriety.
Michael Forbush Michael Forbush was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Mentor, Ohio. He received his Ph.D. in High Energy Physics from Texas A&M University and is currently a physicist working in the Biotech Industry in Silicon Valley designing novel ways to transfer very small quantities of liquids for chemistry applications.
Norrin Lynn Foster NORRIN LYNN FOSTER tells us that he does "writing in the mornings, body work in the afternoons." He lives in Southern California and is a fan of Max Schulman.
Dorothy Gaev Dorothy M. Gaev is a pioneer in nutritional medicine and author of the book The Psychology of Loneliness. She and her Mensan husband live in southern Florida.
Victoria Garton Poet VICTORIA GARTON has been published in about 45 different verse magazines. In her spare time she works as a County Commissioner.
Rodrigo Gaspar Rodrigo Gaspar is the Education Promotion Manager at Brazil British Council in Sao Paulo, an international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. He is an avid fan of Santo (Pele's soccer team) as well as of other sports, especially of American football. Rodrigo writes analysis and commentary for a group of San Francisco 49ers fans.
Paul Gregson Paul is one of those wonderful story-tellers who has a vast range of personal experiences that he draws upon for his humorous vignettes about his life. He and his wife Madeleine lived in Placerville until his death in 2006.
William James Griffin WILLIAM JAMES GRIFFIN, who has been published in more than 60 anthologies and journals, has just finished another book.
Brian J. Groth Poet BRIAN J. GROTH lives and works in Queens, New York.
Richard S. Halada Calling himself "a former geophysicist," RICHARD S. HALADA writes us that he is "delighted by scientific conundrums" and a "consumer of newspaper fillers, humor, horror, and science fiction in large quantities."
Michael Harling Fibber MICHAEL HARLING describes himself as "a Mensan and a part-time freelance writer." He lives in Nassau, NY.
Gary Harris Computerist and Dungeon-master Gary Harris counts as one of his acievments trading Ohio tornados for California earthquakes in 1972. He once held the Mensa office of Chief Hobbit.
Bill Harvey BILL HARVEY used to submit his material to us with increasingly exorbitant demands for payment. One dollar, five dollars -- who knows where it would have ended? He is now satisfied with mere fame.
Rhiannon Hemsted Rhiannon Hemsted is one of those delicately expressive modern authors whose works ornament American letters. A six-year-old, she is a Mensan from Venice, CA.
Wes Hight Wes Hight, Texas Mensan, won an award from the American Poetry Association. Why are so many good poets from Texas?
Hubert Hohn Artist and philosopher HUBERT HOHN recently exhibited a wall-sized printout of the contents of all 49,152 memory cells in an Apple II computer, for a computer graphics show in San Francisco. He lives and teaches in Canada.
James C. Holaday JAMES C. HOLADAY is one of our recruits from the Mensa Writer's SIG. He lives in Henderson, TN, which he describes as a "town with one stop light and two barbers."
Bob Holmes Humorist and paparazzo Bob Holmes could be seen at all manner of Mensa pool parties snapping photos of the denizens of the water.
Dwight E. Humphries When Dwight Humphries is not soaring on poetical inspirations, he skydives. An ex-paratrooper and past editor of the Georgia State University Review, Dwight's principal occupation is journalist.
Janne Jalkanen He's a bright young writer who spends his pare time designing cell phones for nokia
James (not Jim) Katic James Katic describes himself as a "software wizard." He lives in Silicon Valley and is into caving, motorcycling, and bridge, as well as computers. Of course!
Dave Kirby

Admiral Dave Kirby of the notorious annual Sloughs and Booze Cruise writes, in his spare time, for Tandem Computers.

Daniel Kottke As Employee #12 at Apple Computer, Daniel is the only engineer who worked on the Apple I, the Apple II, the Apple III, and the original Macintosh.
Rita Laws RITA LAWS is well-known on the national Mensa scene as coordinator of the Adoption and the Breast-Feeding and Childbirth SIGs.
Barry Leff Barry Leff was active in San Francisco Regional Mensa in the 1980s and early 1990s. After 20 years of slaving away in high-tech he saw the light, got God, and went back to school to become a rabbi. Leff is now a member of Maumee Valley Mensa in the Toledo, Ohio area, where he serves as a pulpit rabbi. Leff and family are busily preparing to move to Israel in the summer of 2007. A certified flight instructor, Leff tells his flight students he’ll get them closer to God (or at least he’ll get them praying) one way or the other.
James Loverde JAMES LOVERDE, of Chicago, has had his articles and poeetry published in Sports Illustrated and Chicago magazine, and in many small reviews, including Rolling Stone and the Las Vegas Sun.
August Lyons August Lyons is the pseudonym of a long time member of San Francisco Regional Mensa who has been actively involved with the national magazine, The Bulletin, and who has made it a business to write filler articles in those airline magazines in the seat pockets.
Malcolm Scott Mac Kenzie He sends us poetry from the unpoetic depths of Los Angeles. The ability of the human spirit to transcend the mundate is truly marvelous.
Arthur Madsen Poet ARTHUR MADSON is a professor of English whose poems have been published in a number of literary reviews. He writes that his avocations are "writing poetry and avoiding stress."
JoAnn Malina She was a former officer and newsletter staffer in San Francisco Regional Mensa. She was well-known for her columns about the behavior of Mensans. An escapee from Chicago, she has worked as a career programmer at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
Brad Mead BRAD MEAD, whose chapters of "Poor Richard's Almanac" brightened many of our early issues, lives in a San Francisco Victorian house with a large collection of porcelain owls.
Carl Mianecke Carl climbed the corporate ladder as a mild mannered Accountant until he reached the CFO rung. Then he switched gears and worked as a Corporate Financial Consultant, employment company owner, Victorian house restorer and business speaker/writer for staffing companies. He recently moved to the Napa Wine Country and owns Turnkey Realty of Napa. He stills enjoys building and working with his hands more than cerebral pursuits.
Daunna Minnich Daunna started her professional career as an English as a Second Language instructor in Iran in the 70s, managing to exit the country a few days before the Shah. Since then she has continued to teach, become a mother of two girls, and is actively involved in foreign language immersion and special education in her local school district.
Katherine Mitchell In 1977 Katherine Mitchell spent three months trekking by land across the Middle East from Cairo to Delhi. This experience suited her quite well and as a result, she joined the Foreign Service.
Paul Moore Pavement-pounding poet PAUL MOORE composed "A Marathon" while running. "Which either lends a certain authenticity or an excellent excuse," he writes. Run some more by us, Paul.
Keith W. Morrow Keith W. Morrow lives and writes in Salem, Oregon, where he read about The Ecphorizer in Oregon Mensa's magazine, Omen.
Sheila E. Murphy SHEILA E. MURPHY lists her "true occupation" as poet, but works as a corporate educator for purposes of sustenance. She is also a lifelong flutist.
Marshall Myers He recently had a collection of his poems, On the Inside, published by Western Sun Publications. He lives in Owensboro, KY.
Sheryl L. Nelms SHERYL NELMS is a widely published poet (over 500 poems so far) and editor of little magazines. Besides managing a family with three teenagers, she plays racquetball and rides a dirt bike. She is a native of Marysville, Kansas.
Mark Newman Poet MARK NEWMAN lives and writes in Napa, CA, locale of the famed Wine Country RG.
B. Z. Niditch Poet B. Z. NIDITCH evokes our blushes by writing that he regards The Ecphorizer as "intelligent and sensitive." B. Z. lives and writes in Milton, MA.
J. B. O'Donnell Southern Californian John B. O'Donnell has retired from a career as a mechanical engineer to spend time writing on political economy and other socially useful subjects.
Wilson Reid Ogg Poet and lawyer WILSON REID OGG lives in the hills of Berkeley, CA, where he pursues his interests in cosmology and parapsychology.
Mareile Ogle Artist Mareile Ogle is famous for, among other things, her Mensa parties in Milpitas, her thick backyard garden, and her candid photos of party-goers.
Ed Orr Ed lives in and writes from Peoria, Illinois.
Susan Packie Susan Packie teaches anthropology at Malcolm-King College, which is located in America's premier anthroplogical site, New York City. She has had her work published in more than 80 magazines.
Paul J. Palko PAUL J. PALKO writes that his job (Base Engine Manager of an Air Force National Guard tactical fighter group) classifies him as simultaneously military and civilian. He has been urine-tested in both capacities.
Rita H. Palmer Poet Rita H. Palmer is a New Yorker who is into jazz, science fiction and piano playing.
Gareth Penn Gareth Penn is probably best known as the greatest amateur Zodiac sleuth after his many articles in The Ecphorizer that lead to the identity of Zodiac. However, Penn is much more than that as he has a keen inquisitive mind that finds an interesting story in just about anything from a memorial to a little-known soldier in a park in Vallejo, CA, to his notes about animals, to plumbing the depths of the limerick. Penn's prolific pen is evident in that he has made a contribution to every issue of The Ecphorizer up through Issue #33 (and counting!).
Jonathan Penner Writer Jonathan Penner won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for his latest book, Private Parties. Now, to top it all off, he has finally made the pages of The Ecphorizer!
Joan Price Joan Price makes her home in Sebastopol, California, far from the crowded noisy bustle of big cities.
Dael Prichard DAEL PRICHARD sends us his work from Paris, where he has just finished his first novel. He is also a professional painter.
Frederick A. Raborg, Jr. Frederick Raborg, Jr. studied at and graduated from universities in California and he served as battalion sergeant major with the 8th Field Artillery Battalion in Korea and Hawaii. Though he was a teacher by formal education, he devoted his life to acting and writing. He usually had starring roles in all school plays, and he sang with the Joe Brown Radio Kiddie Gang on WRVA in Richmond throughout the Forties. He wrote his first journalism at age 12 for his weekly column, The Bowers Hill News, in The Portsmouth Star. In 1983, he and his wife started several literary magazines, including AMELIA, which has been recognized as one of the top literary publications in the nation and always has been listed as one of the best fiction markets. [The preceding is an edited version of his self-written obituary, which can be found at http://members.tripod.com/~Startag/RaborgIntro.html. -Tod]
Joseph Raffa A poet and writer, he who grew up in Connecticut, lists as his "travel experiences" Spain, France, England, and Peoria, Illinois. He has presently come to rest in Maryland.
Joseph Rankin Philosopher Joseph P. Rankin writes s from The Artichoke Capital of California. He describes himself as "an elderly screwball," but is dead serious about the nuclear threat, as shouldn't we all be.
Ed Rehmus Ed Rehmus was well-known within San Francisco Regional Mensa in the 70s through the 80s as the "weird" cover artist of the newsletter Intelligencer. He later created an irregular comic stric called "The Clonies." Ed also wrote the occational story for the Intelligencer.
Neil Renton Multiply-talented NEIL RENTON has sent us some short poems, as well as fiction pieces. He lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA.
Wallace Rhea Wallace Rhea is a motion picture projectionist who has excelled in a dozen occupations, including writing for dirty magazines.
Chancellor Roberts Navy man CHANCELLOR ROBERTS has his copy of THE ECPHORIZER delivered each month to his ship, the USS New Orleans, wherever it may be. He plans to get out of the service in 1988.
Albert Russo

A bilingual author and amateur photographer - English and French are his two "mother tongues", raised in Central and Southern Africa, Albert Russo is the recipient of many awards, such as The American Society of Writers Fiction Award, The British Diversity Short Story Award, several New York Poetry Forum Awards, and the Prix Colette, among others. Praised by James Baldwin, Pierre Emmanuel, Paul Willems and Edmund White, among others, his work has been translated in a dozen languages. His award-winning African novels and his hilarious Zapinette series have appeared on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a member of the jury for the Prix Européen (with Ionesco until his death) and sat on the panel of the prestigious Neustadt Prize for Literature, which often leads to the Nobel Prize. He has published more than 20 photo books with Xlibris and many of his photos have been shown at the prestigious Musée de la Photographie de l'Elysée, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Romulus Sahasra ...is a pseudononymous contributor...
Burt Schmitz Burt Schmitz has drawn a number of covers for The Ecphorizer as well as providing interior art. He recently worked on a large illustrated tourist map for a Silicon Valley promotion firm.
Katherine V. K. Schroeder Besides writing, she is a fan of mythology, fantasy and the works of Tolkein. She lives in Victoria, Texas.
Kenneth Schulze KENNETH SCHULZE writes that he is a new member of Mensa and refers to his contribution as a "disposable review." Yes, but is it also biodegradable?
Roy Shaw Theoretician ROY SHAW writes from something called the "Moon Shine Home Brew Pot Farm," whose motto is "...a senior international experience in flamming."
Wayne Silka Widely known in the San Francisco area as SF Chronicle columnist Herb Caen's favorite anagrammer, Wayne enjoys having fun with words, grammar, palindromes, and other interesting language subtleties. An anagram of his name produces "A Linkse Way."
Maggie Jack Sinram Maggie Jack Sinram hails from Chula Vista, California, where she paints as well as poetizes.
Coleman Slezak COLEMAN SLEZAK writes us from Bayside, NY. Besides being a philosopher conversant in such languages as Latin and Hungarian, he has an interest in popular music. He is also a fan of Lottie Fish-Bate, whose series on The Mismeasure of Mensa just concluded in these pages.
Brian Smith BRIAN J. SMITH is a freelance screenwriter who commutes between Hollywood and his home in Oakland, CA. He has been a Mensa member for a little more than a year.
Chester B. Smith Political philosopher CHESTER B. SMITH lives and votes in Coudersport, PA, from which he hopes to launch his unelectable candidates.
Larry E. Smith LARRY E. SMITH was raised in Missouri. Besides poetry, he writes popular music. His most recent was "Bring Bubba Back," a song about a purloined peccary. He writes us that it 'lasted one week on one South Texas radio station."
John J. Soldo Poet and ex-teacher JOHN J. SOLDO writes us from Portales, NM.
Jack Spratt

Jack Spratt could eat no fat;

His wife could eat no lean!

Jim Stanfield Jim Stanfield is a mechanical designer working at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. His lists as main interests: photography and writing. Jim hs been been in Mensa for 20 years and a resident of San Francisco for 30. He is originally from Michigan.
Michael Stern MICHAEL STERN submitted "The Man from SATIRE" in response to a local contributors' contest that we ran in SF Mensa. We were happy to award him a complete set of ECPHORIZER back issues with which to clutter up his coffee table.
Allen Swoh His name is How's Nella spelled backwards.
JJ Tiger JJ Tiger came out of retirement to join the fun as a road warrior. He drives an '06 Volvo semi for a major US carrier. JJ says that the Volvo is an easy truck to love as it rides really nice for a large truck and is reasonably quiet. For the motor-heads who drool over the specifications of mechanical things, JJ's Volvo sports a powerful red engine with the word "Cummins" on it.
George Towner

George Towner was born in Reno and grew up near Berkeley. As a teenager he began making gangster movies using an old 8mm camera, one of which featured a car being pushed over a cliff off State Highway 1. He has started and sold two successful technology firms, and currently works for Apple Computer, where he is the most senior in age. He lives with his wife in Sunnyvale. They have two daughters and a son.

Russ Traunstein Poet RUSS TRAUNSTEIN lives and writes in Brighton, MA.
Margot Treitel Margot Treitel has published her poetry in Chicago Review, Prairie Schooner, College English, Hollins Critic, and the Literary Review and a host of other magazines. She has also taught English in West Africa.
Ray Tumbleson RAY TUMBLESON describes himself thus: "I unite in myself wit, wide knowledge, & amazing incompetence in all practical matters." A Harvard graduate, he has retreated to the wilds of Oregon where the only other avocation possible is survival.
Ken Uhland

Master Puzzler Ken Uhland graced the pages of the SFRM Intelligencer with puzzles for over two decades. Ken has worked as a taxi driver and a technical instructor. For many years he coordinated the Mensa volunteers during San Jose's KTEH-TV's PBS Pledge Weeks. Ken passed away in May, 2004, at age 58.

Ed Van Vleck Ed Van Vleck was a rather unique person: A scientist at NASA-Ames, a talented singer, cartoonist, real estate investor, and writer. He was well-known within San Francisco Mensa in the 70s for his hosting of "Rotunda" events*, investment seminars, and other adventures. He is now hiding in the wilds of Utah devoid of a decent (or even an indecent) Internet conenction. *As newsletter editor in those days I once inadvertantly misspelled the "Rotunda" on the monthly calendar as "Rotund."
Laura Vargas Poet LAURA DENNISON VARGAS works and writes in Brooklyn, NY, the home of American Mensa.
W. J. Walsh Poet WILLIAM J. WALSH claims to speed-read more than eight books a week. In his spare time he plays chess.
Charles Walton CHARLES WALTON, another Silicon Valley denizen, operates a product development and consulting business in Los Gatos, CA.
John Welch Massachusetts poet John Welch has had his work published in numerous little magazines, including Gargoyle and Urthona.
Cris Wendt Cris grew up in the middle off orchards and farms in the 60s and has lived through the transformation of a rural agrarian area into Silicon Valley. He has worked as a marketing product manager at various Valley companies, including Cadence Design and Macrovision. In his spare time, Cris enjoys writing gimmick rallies as well as competing in them through a club called TRC.
Tod Wicks Long time Ecphorizer and current Editor of all things Ecphorizer, Tod enjoyed a varied career in telecommunications having cut his teeth at Ma Bell, then getting in on the ground floor at Rolm working on digital PBXs, getting a light workout at Raynet while installing fiber optic transmission systems, and finally working at Cisco Systems prior to retiring.
Tod Wicks

Tod has been a telephone installer, field service engineer, field project manager, tech writer, field trial engineer, radio announcer, tour guide, magazine and newletter editor and contributor, and worked as an extra in numerous operas staged by Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.

Tod Wicks

ladedah

Tod Wicks

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Neal Wilgus Neal Wilgus was born in Jerome, Arizona. He has a degree in English from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and moved to New Mexico while working for the US Forest Service in the early 60s. He is a prolific writer of poetry, science fiction, and satirical humor. His latest chapbooks are The Leakoids: Newsalizing the Nation, and Rhymed and Dangerous, a book of poems. Neal currently resides in Corrales, New Mexico, and works the night shift with his illustrator, Filo Martinez, who provided the sketch of Neal at right.
Jan Williams Jan has bounced back and forth between New Jersey and California over the years, making many great friends on both coasts. She is perhaps best remembered for editing New Jersey Mensa's newsletter Forvm for many years.
Robert Anway Willis Robert Anway Willis sends us his poetry from Southern California. He is a Buddhist with a general interest in Eastern religions.
Xerox Circuit Those bits and pieces of pre-home computer and Internet humor that gost passed around by running to the copy machine when someone shows you a cartoon or joke.  You could usually tell how popular it was by the number of smudges on the copy.
Louis Yates Louis retired to San Anselmo from a career in motion picture technology. He putters and invents in his own machine shop, and plays a mean hand of Bridge.
Lisa Yount Poetess Lisa Yount lives at the northern end of San Francisco Bay, home of foghorns and seagulls.
Gene Ziegler By day he writes endless boring memos and reports ad infinitum, ad nauseam. But at night, when he is locked behind tower doors, he becomes Dr. Z, a.k.a. Dr. Zseuss, and writes essays, fiction, poetry, and humor to entertain relatives and friends. Welcome, perfect strangers, to his less than perfect world. Oh, what a tangled web!