Fan Gallery Contents: Joe Mayhew

Joe was an active science fiction fan all of his life. In 1998 and 2000 he won the Hugo award for Best Fan Artist, and was also nominated in 1990, 1996, 1997, and 1999. His cartoons have appeared in ASIMOV'S, ANALOG, PIRATE WRITINGS, and numerous fanzines.

As the Library of Congress's Recommending Officer for Science Fiction, Joe developed the official government definition of what was science fiction. IN his last years, Joe became a professional science fiction author with stories appearing in TOMORROW, ABERRATIONS and ABORIGINAL SF. He also reviewed science fiction books for the WASHINGTON POST, ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE, and TV'S FAST FORWARD.

Joe chaired the 1987 Disclave and the cancelled 1998 Disclave. He served as WSFA Secretary and editor of the WSFA journal several times, most recently 1995-1996. He was the clubs unofficial greeter of new people and storehouse of information about the club's history, its constitution, parliamentary procedure, and indeed everything else.

He attended innumerable SF conventions, most recently Balticon in April 2000.

After spending one month in several hospitals, Joe died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (the hospital's best guess), a relative of Mad Cow Disease that is considered extremely rare in the U.S. He is survived by a brother, a sister, and multiple cartoons and carvings.

On December 10th (2000) Joe's ashes were planted under an Aralia Speciosa, a rare native small tree at the Beltsville Library. The Aralia's common name is Devil's Walking Stick. It has multiple prickly stems with beautiful white flowers at the top. It is located to the left of the Library entrances past the memorial tree for his mother, Maydelle Stewart.

Rest in Peace, Joe. You will be missed.