John (Jack) B. Speer
August 9, 1920 - June 28, 2008
Jack Speer was a man of many interests. He practiced law for 60+ years, served a term in the Washington State Legislature and served two terms as Judge of the Bernalillo County Small Claims Court. A registered Parliamentarian, he helped judge high school debates statewide. In 1961, Jack developed a Civil War board game notable for the fact that it followed the actual course of the war, with North eventually overrunning South. His interest in science was rewarded when he was invited to view the takeoff of an experimental rocket at White Sands Missile Range. As a science-fiction fan, he wrote the first history of fandom and the first encyclopedia of esoteric fannish terms. He published his own amateur fanzine for 70+ years, encouraging lively debates and demanding high standard of literacy in the field. (From the service)
Memorial services which were well attended were at the French Morturay at 10:30 a.m this morning with interment to follow at the Santa Fe National Cementery, in Santa Fe, New Mexico at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon.
