Tim "Uncle Timmy" Bolgeo

Website

Uncle Timmy is unable to attend StellarCon33 for medical reasons. Please keep him in your thoughts!

Born: April 15, 1949

Siblings: Two Brothers (one deceased), One Sister

Married: June 26, 1970

Wife: Linda “She Who Must Be Obeyed” Louise Vannucci Bolgeo

Note: SWMBO is a total mundane who has never read an SF or Fantasy book. SWMBO likes to work at LibertyCon at Registration and enjoys meeting and gossiping with people.

Children: 2
Daughter: Brandy Marie Louise Bolgeo Spraker – May 25, 1973
Son: Jason Lawrence Bolgeo – October 25, 1977
Son-in-Law Derek E. Spraker – October 26, 1971
Daughter-in-Law Jamie Casteel Bolgeo – September 13, 1976

Military: USAF – August 1967 to August 1971

Education: BSEE, Christian Brothers College, Memphis, Tennessee, May 1976

Work Experience: Electrical Engineer with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) July 1976 to January 3, 2007

Contract Employee to TVA January 8, 2007 to May 31, 2008

Today: Retired

Vacations: I go to WorldCon and SWMBO goes to Tunica to gamble.

Fannish Experience

Lifetime reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy – Prefers Military Science Fiction

First contact with fandom: October 1976, Chattanooga Science Fiction Club – This was the first time I ever even knew that there was an organized presence of anyone else who liked SF. I got envolved.

First convention: Chattacon 2, January 1977

First Convention to work on: Chattacon 3, January 1978

NOTE: The afternoon that Chattacon 3 was over, Irv Koch 16 of us together to organize Chattacon as nonprofit corporation charted in the state of Tennessee and to be recognized by the IRS. I was one of the first 16 board members of Chattacon.

Convention Staff Experience:
Chattacon 4 - 5, Assistant Video Room - Irv Koch Chairman
Chattacon 6, Vice Chairman - David Tabor Chairman
Chattacon 7 – 11, Chairman
LibertyCon 1-22, Chairman and founder
Confederation WorldCon, 1986, Assistant Masquerade Coordinator
World FantasyCon, Nashville, Tennessee, Head of Operations (Early 90’s)
World Horror Con 1 & 2, Nashville, Tennessee, Head of Operations

Fannish nickname: Uncle Timmy

Fanzine Experience: The LibertyCon Newsletter 1987-1997 (Fannish Gossip & Jokes)

The Revenge of Hump Day! 1997 to present (Fannish Gossip, Jokes, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up Section, Science & Politically Incorrect articles)
(To receive The Revenge, please send an email to Tim Bolgeo tbolgeo@comcast.net

Comments on Fandom:

Fandom is only a hobby. Family and work come first. But it is a beloved hobby that has brought me many hours fun and entertainment. Fandom has also brought me many great friends that I will cherish all my life and I am a fierce protector of these friends.

I have been very fortunate to meet many of my private heroes through fandom and been blessed by becoming friends with a number of them.

My love of Science Fiction has actually helped me keep current in this time of increasing swift technological changes in society. Especially in my chosen career field of Electrical Engineering.

What I hate about fandom is the politics and I try my best to stay out of them.

Bolgeo’s Law of Fandom:
There are Givers, Takers and Destroyers.
The Givers are the people who give conventions and other fannish activities.
The Takers are the people who come to convention on other fannish activities.
There is nothing wrong with the Takers or the Givers and it is not unusual for one group to partially crossover to the other. i.e. A Taker might go to a convention and help out a little or a Giver might go to another convention and just relax.
A Destroyer is a person who can’t give successfully or take successfully because of their egos (can’t stand to not be at the center of the action) or because of their inability to do the work. So, they try their best to screw it up for the rest of us. They are bad people and should be avoided at all costs.

I have always enjoyed helping others who want to start conventions with administrative help or advice. I guess you could say that I take my role as “Uncle Timmy” seriously when it comes to helping people when I can.

About the only other convention that I work at on a consistent basis is Con*Stellation in Huntsville, AL. I run the “Killer Cutthroat Spades Tournament” there every year.

Since I have retired, I have worked mostly on my Ezine, The Revenge of Hump Day, played Chairman of LibertyCon, and am in the process of rebuilding and updating the house we have lived in for the last 32 years.

Note Brandy “SWMBO Jr.” Spraker, is the Registrar of LibertyCon and now handles most of the “running” associated with LibertyCon. I handle most of the administrative and glad handing work associated with the convention.

In fandom, I have never had any heroes, but I have definitely had a number of great friends who run other conventions. People like Ken Moore (Kubla Khan, Nashville), Sylvia Cox, Greg Bridges and Jeff Bango (MidsouthCon, Memphis), Chloie Airoldi (SatiraCon, Knoxille), Mark Paulk, Mike and Nelda Kennedy, Sam Smith, …(Con*Stellation, Huntsville), and…. Hopefully, you get the idea.