Here’s the third batch of scans from Shel Dorf’s negatives from the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con, which was held at the El Cortez Hotel with Bill Lund as Chairman. (I received the negatives from Shel’s friend and cartooning partner Charlie Roberts. There are over two hundred pictures so I’m going to post them periodically in batches. (You can see the first two batches here and here.
Guests, fans, and committee members pictured include Kirk Alyn, Ray Bradbury, Shel Dorf, Ken Krueger, Bjo Trimble, Chairman Bill Lund, Richard Butner, Ed Nizyborski, William Crawford, Bill Schanes, and Eric Hoffman.
Where I was uncertain of a name, I just put down a question mark. If you would like to help identify these people in the pictures, so that the question marks can be replaced with names, please leave a comment or send me a message by clicking on the “CONTACT” tab at the top. I’ve numbered the pictures M051-M075 so you can easily specify which picture(s) you can identify people in.
Update 09/16/12: Thanks to Jan Tonneson for the following photo identification: “Mo60 is a dealers’ table sponsored by Waldenbooks in Parkway Plaza in El Cajon (somehow I convinced management to agree to this folly). The dark haired fellow on the left is David Robinson and I’m the bearded degenerate on the left.”
Update 07/24/12: Thanks to Brent Anderson for identifying Steve Swenston and (tentatively) Steve Oliff in picture MO69.
Update 06/15/11: Thanks to David Watry for recognizing himself as the young guy standing front and center in picture M051.
Update 04/17/11: Calvin Slobodian wrote, “The picture MO55 shows me with my wife Donna Slobodian. We were newly married and this was our first convention together. We rented a U-haul and took tons of everything to the convention. Brings back memories.”
Update 06/28/10: Thanks to Robert Beerbohm for noting that photo M055 shows Calvin Slobodian from Canada, not Buddy Saunders.
Update 06/20/10: Thanks to Bill Lund and Greg Koudoulian for identifying Jean Graham (formerly Jeannie Peacock) in M054 and Bill Lund again for identifying William Crawford’s wife in M063.
Update 06/19/10: Thanks to Greg Koudoulian for identifying Tom French in picture M064.
Update 06/19/10: Thanks to comics and collectibles dealer Bob Beerbohm (who was there in 1974, as well as at every other Comic-Con since the first full con in August 1970) for making the following identifications: M051 – Irving Bigman and Dave Gibson; M053 – Bob Beerbohm and Dave Gibson; M054 – Gary Coddington; MO57 – Phil Seuling; M060 – Bob Beerbohm’s booth; M065 – Bob Beerbohm.
(Click on a “thumbnail” image below to view the full-size image. At the bottom of the full-size image will be a caption with some arrows on either side that you can click to view the next or previous image. You might have to scroll the display down a little for the caption and arrows to show. Click on the full-size image to close it. Alternatively, for the maximum view, right-click the thumbnail image, select to view it in a new window, then click on the newly-displayed image to “zoom” to maximum size.)
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
M060: The gent with the beard is Jan Tonnesen, who told me via Facebook that “At the time I was working for Waldenbooks at Parkway Plaza in El Cajon and I somehow convinced management that setting up a booth at ComicCon was a good idea.” He identifies the guy to the left (his right) as his co-worker David Robinson. Jan later worked for the legendary Jack Dickens at Comic Kingdom, and worked at Wahrenbrock’s Book House on Broadway for many years, right up until it closed.
(MO 69) That could be Steve Oliff to the left and definitely Steve Swenston on the right (facing us).
Apprently in M051, the kid right in the middle standing there with dark hair is ME (David Watry – brother to Paul Watry who was very good friends with Barry Alfonso, and others from the Con group). This is totally amazing to find myself in one of the pictures. I didn’t take any pics back then. Very nice!
Mike,
In photo M063: That’s William Crawford’s wife, I believe.
In photo M054: Jean Graham, formerly Jeannie Peacock and a member of the convention staff as our go-between with Paramount Studios and Star Trek. She married another former staff member, Chuck Graham, although that doesn’t appear to be him directly behind her. I’ve contacted her to verify this info for you,
m054 I think may be Ms. Peacock(Star San Diego)
Thanks Bob for pointing out Gary, he was a good guy. Died way to young in the late 70′s or 80′s of kidney disease. He was a dealer at every single FIRST SUNDAY CLUB CON. He lived in Pasadena with his folks, I use to visit him there. He was definitely a world expert on all Superman Collectibles!
M 064 is Tom French
MO-54 the guy in middle looking off the camera to the right in the pic (his left) is Gary Coddington, long time friend of comics, art agent for Joe Shuster, Carl Barks, among others, back in the day
MO-53, the head right behind Ken Kruger’s right side is me, Robert Beerbohm, as that is where my booth was in the room, and my hairline started receding early in life,
MO-53 The big guy on left with long hair and bread is Dave Gibson
MO-65 has me, Robert Beerbohm, on the outside of that table talking some deal to buy something from the vintage movie poster dealer behind his table. This is the first photo you have scanned from Shel’s collection with me in it. See, I recognize the shoe design as the final clincher in this passion play. -:L
MO-55 looks like later Lone Star comics store chain magnate Buddy Saunders, plus his wife
Mo-60 shows the back of my booth display. The large white display board area
MO-7 is Phil Seuling striding with his back to us inside his booth area
Whoops, MO-57 is Phil Seuling’s back
M051 – right side, older gent with leg up on chair is Irving Bigman, mentor to many of us younguns back in the day