It's hard to believe that Kim has only been active in fandom since 1994.
Although she grew up being an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, she
wasn't introduced to fandom officially until Marcon 29. That was when she
witnessed a puff of blue smoke coming from the registration computer, and three
ashen-faced staff covering their eyes with their hands. She innocently
asked what had happened and was told that the server had died. She asked "What's
your plan?" They looked at her and said there was no plan B. No
backup.
She immediately took charge and proceeded to calm the maddening throng of
attendees waiting in line by rustling up 3x5 cards and pens and giving them out
(about 300 long by then) so that they could fill in information prior to
approaching the registration desk. This calmed down the registrants enough
that no one was hanged. The next year she was head of Registration and the
average wait in line for registration was about 12 minutes (as opposed to about
4 hours for Marcon 29).
Since then, she's been head of Marcon programming in 1997 (and due to a contract
oversight, the Lipizzaner Horse show was scheduled in the midst of the
Convention, taking over the Dealers, Gaming and Art show spaces — but she put
plans B, C and Z into effect and worked around them), Chair in 1999, 2000, 2001
(in 2001, she planned on having 2000 attendees and got 3600) then again in 2005. She was Treasury in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007, as well as Hotel Liaison every
year since 2000.
She hasn't kept her abilities and willingness to work just to Marcon: She
started working WindyCon in 1995, first in the Art Show, then in working in
Registration up through 2006. She first met Ross Pavlac at the 1996 Los
Angeles Worldcon in a hot tub (and was lucky that Maria kept Ross from drowning
her). It was Ross who convinced her to become involved in Worldcons; she
worked on the Chicago 2000 Bid (hosted parties with him in 96 and 97 and worked
the Worldcon itself). Sometimes it is amazing the friends that you meet in
hot tubs, and where and how Worldcon bids are developed.
On different years, Kim has worked Duckcon, Capricon (Art show 97-99) and
ChamBanaCon (FGOH 2000, and Hotel Liaison 2001-present). She regularly
attends 10 conventions a year (on an easy year — during the bids she attended up
to 36 conventions a year). She has worked as everything from a gopher to a
department head at many of those conventions.
Thanks to the early exposure to Ross and the Chicago 2000 Worldcon, she
developed and opened the Columbus 2007 Worldcon bid at ConJose in 2002 (she
would have opened it in Philadelphia in 2001, but she had broken both ankles in
June of 2001 and was not able to attend). When the 2007 bid was defeated
in 2004 by Japan at the Worldcon in Boston, she was able (due to a change in the
Worldcon rules regarding bids), to announce for the Columbus in 2008 bid at
SmofCon in 2004.
Kim is the mother of 4 children, the grandmother of 3. Her youngest child,
Wesley, joined the US Army right after 9/11. He was shipped to Iraq at the
very beginning with the 101st. During the time that Wesley was there, Kim
sent him care packages of science fiction, and was involved in the "Support Your
Troops" by organizing book drives for servicemen.
Kim hasn't rested on her laurels: She will be hosting SMOFcon as Chair in
December 2008 in Columbus, and will be the Vice-Chair of World Fantasy
Convention in Columbus in 2010 (the chair is Larry Smith).
Kim is known throughout the US convention circuit: Hosting bid parties,
running conventions and helping conventions just naturally get you noticed.
She "passes on" the knowledge and training that she ascribes to her mentors and
friends: Bob Beese, Bill Roper, Nick Winks, Kathy Hamilton, and Ross
Pavlac.
Talk with her. Be friends with her. Kim's excitement about
conventions is contagious — no doubt she will have you ready to help with the next
convention or bid in no time.
—M. David Brim & Bob Beese