The Marshall University Science Fiction Society (MUSF or MUSFS for short) was a notable (but not that notable, apparently) science fiction society started in November 1979, in Huntington, West Virginia. Members of the group were often called MUSFers, and were - for the most part - students of Marshall University. The group usually met in Marshall's Memorial Student Center, located on Fifth Avenue, on what was then the south side of campus.
In 1980, MUSF began publishing an irregular, contributor-supported fanzine (an APAzine, or Amateur Press Association 'zine) called The Recent Future. Steve Saffel, TRF's first editor, is now a book editor living in New York City. MUSF also ran a successful not-for-profit science fiction convention called "MunchCon" (which stood for "Marshall University iN the City of Huntington") in the early 1980s. MunchCon I was held April 10-11, 1981, on the Marshall University campus, and featured keynote speakers Juanita and Robert Coulson, a workshop with Harry Otto Fischer on "Fritz Leiber and the Creation of Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser," and fantasy artist Val Mayerik.
The society doesn't seem to have lasted much past the 1980s, and the last issue of The Recent Future (Vol. 2, No. 4, with a later supplement) was published in 1993. But many former MUSFers are still very active fans in Florida, New Mexico, Ohio, Massachusetts, California, New York, and Oregon, to name but a few.
Jeann Allen, Jerry Barrax, Josh Barrax, Robin Breeden, Allison (Casto) Breeden, Neil Chakrabarty, Mary Collins, John Crist, Brinda Estep, Barbara Fisher, Christopher Haynes, Richard Jervis, Greg Jordan, Matthew Kelly, Rusty Marks, J.D. Maynard, Thom Maxwell, Terry Messinger, Randy Meredith, Debbie Phillips, Nell Phillips, Phil Proctor, Steve Saffel, Alan P. Scott, Amanda (Carter) Sheahan, Tom Sheahan, Bruce Sheffer, Missy Shores, Lisa Smith, Valerie Stewart, Katrina Timson, Kyri and Len Westfall, J.P. Withers.
MUSF was also formed with, and maintained throughout its existence, strong ties to sf fandom in Morgantown, West Virginia (the Monongamoot Science Fiction Society of West Virginia University). Major contributors from there include:
Jeff Brooks, kd kije (Kim Duryea), Tyndara Meffe, Lydia Moon and Tom Peters.
Credits and editorial note:
This article is based on one originally written and posted to Wikipedia by Mary Collins; I expanded it significantly while it was there and feel rather proprietary about it. I salvaged the article from Wikipedia (from which it was deleted August 3, 2006) via Google's version, cached 8/1/2006, and have edited it again for posting here.
I do not have a collaborative website. This version of this article is ©2006-2009 Alan P. Scott. However, I welcome any suggestions for revision or expansion you may have - just let me know.
Last updated August 19, 2009.
Contact me:
ascott@pacifier.com