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International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts

A Loss to the Association

By In Industry News On July 1, 2009


On Saturday, June 27, ICFA founder, Bob Collins, passed away in his home at age 80 after an incredibly swift-moving battle with cancer.

Thirty years ago, Bob, a professor at Florida Atlantic University, gambled that a mass mailing to university English departments might attract scholars who wished to give papers on fantasy literature; the response was overwhelming, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history. At the recent 30th annual Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, we were privileged to hear an interview with Bob during which he recounted some of the early history of the conference and the organization and his amazement at its success.

At his request, Bob’s ashes were scattered on the ocean by the Neptune Society. Bob’s daughter, Judy, is planning a remembrance for Bob at their house in Boca Raton, starting at 1 pm on Thursday, July 2. Anyone who will be in the area and who wishes to join us will be welcome. At 2 pm Eastern Time, we will lift a glass together to honor Bob. If others would like to join us in absentia at that time, no doubt Bob would be pleased.

William A. Senior