Don E. Ford slide collection
Finding aid prepared by Serena Rodholm, Student Processing Assistant.
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© 2018
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Don E. Ford slide collection
Date (inclusive): 1930-1967
Date (bulk): 1952-1967
Collection Number: MS 405
Creator:
Ford, Donald E., 1921-1965
Extent:
0.83 linear feet
(2 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Abstract: The collection consists of approximately 850 photographic slides, mostly of science fiction conventions, taken by well known
fan Don E. Ford in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Slides in the collection depict various parts of conventions, including
audiences listening to performances and speakers, dinners, discussions, and other fan gatherings.
Languages: The collection is in English.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright of these records has been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Distinctive
Collections.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Don E. Ford slide collection (MS 405). Special Collections & University Archives,
University of California, Riverside.
Processing History
Processed by Serena Rodholm, Student Processing Assistant, 2018.
Processing of the Don E. Ford slide collection was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California,
Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project
was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian.
Biographical Note
Donald E. Ford, was born in 1921 and began reading science fiction in 1930, starting his lifelong love of the genre. He became
a well-known and respected member of science fiction fandom, as a leading member of the Cincinnati Fantasy Group, a founding
member of First Fandom, and the author and editor of fanzines such as POOKA. Ford was also involved in a number of science
fiction conventions, chairing Cinvention in 1949 and founding the first Midwestcon in 1950.
In 1953, Ford helped found the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund (TAFF), an organization which facilitates a competition to provide
funds for well-known science fiction fans in North America and Europe to attend a major convention on the other side of the
Atlantic. Ford served as the first U.S. administrator of TAFF for four years, and won the TAFF race himself in 1959, allowing
him to attend the 1960 Eastercon in London.
Ford was diagnosed with cancer, and passed shortly after in April of 1965.
Collection Scope and Contents
The collection consists of approximately 250 stereo slides and 600 35mm slides of science fiction conventions, fans, and authors
taken by Don E. Ford, mostly during the 1950s and 1960s. Slides in the collection depict various parts of conventions, including
audiences listening to performances and speakers, dinners, discussions, and other fan gatherings. This conventions represented
in the collection were held mainly in the Midwestern United States, with some slides from conventions held in London, Detroit,
and Washington D.C. Most slides include some sort of caption written by Ford.
Materials in the collection also include some personal slides, depicting family events and trips, as well as photographs from
the Cincinnati Fantasy Group.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series as follows:
- Series 1. Events, 1930-1964
- Series 2. Conventions, 1952-1967
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Congresses and conventions
Photography
Science fiction fans
Science fiction -- Authorship
Genres and Forms of Materials
Stereoscopic photographs
Slides (photographs)
Series 1. Events
1930-1964
Series Scope and Contents
This series consists of single and stereo slides of the Cincinnati Fantasy Group, fan events and publications outside of conventions,
and personal trips. Slides in the series depict various locations, including Indian Lake and Cleveland, Ohio, and Indiana.
Series Arrangement
Slides in the series are arranged alphabetically, according to groupings and captions provided by Ford.
Box 1, Folder 1
Beatley's on the Lake
1951
Box 1, Folder 2
Birthday parties
1952-1960
Box 1, Folder 3
Cincinnati Fantasy Group
1956-1964
Box 1, Folder 6
Kent Bulmer and Akron Parade
1955
Box 1, Folder 7
Natural Bride State Park picnic trip
1955
Box 1, Folder 10
SF Boom or Bust
1930-1944
Series 2. Conventions
1952-1967
Series Scope and Contents
This series consists of single and stereo slides of conventions attended by Don Ford, including conventions held in Detroit,
London, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Slides in the series are candid shots, depicting attendees listening
to speakers, gatherings, items on display, and general shots of other fans and attendees. The series also contains the original
labels Ford used to organize his metal slide boxes.
Series Arrangement
Slides in the series are arranged alphabetically, according to groupings and captions provided by Ford.
Box 1, Folder 13
Cleveland 13th World Con
1955
Box 1, Folder 14
Clevention and Ken Bulmer visit
1955
Box 2, Folder 7
Pittcon; Indiana Conference
1955-1960
Box 2, Folder 9
TAFF London Con [Eastercon]
1960
Box 2, Folder 10
Washington D.C. Convention
1963
