Copyright © 2023 Rick and Ruth Coy

I’ve been a fan of SF and comics ever since I could read. But besides the collection of comics and books it wasn’t until I was out of college that I became part of FANDOM. When I joined STFF and met John Ellis. John was younger that I was, but he had been in Fandom since he was a teenager. He had been to cons, did fanzines, had article and artwork in fanzines….

It wasn’t long after joining the club I became an officer in it and went to mini-con in Miami to represent the club.  Well - WOW! Mini cons and dealing comics at them became a normal thing for me.

We started putting on our own mini cons in West Palm Beach area. The first was at the Salvation Army in West Palm Beach and then we held quite a few at the American Polish Club in Lake Worth. Now these min cons would be in a large room with a screen at one end and dealers tables on the other three walls. They were a lot of fun, and you got to meet other people who had the same interest as you did.

We put out a monthly news letter for STFF - we would have different people volunteer to edit it and then John and I would have to put it together at the last minute. We finally stopped asking for volunteers and just did it, it was easier than having to jump into it at the last minute.

My future wife joined STFF and about a year latter while attending a mini-con in Tampa I proposed to here. This was about 48 years ago and we are still happily married. Opposites may attract, but having the same interest will keep you together. Ruth started going to the mini-cons with me and we even added flea markets for selling comics.

It was decided in 1974 that we were going to do a major con. It soon became Palm Beach Con I/Trekon International 1975. We held it at the Colonnades Beach Hotel on Singer Island.  Because World Con was not going to be in the US, we decided to hold it Labor Day weekend. It went over very good.

Just before Trekon I had my 30 seconds of fame in a local used book store. The had a poster up for the con and Ruth and I were in there looking for some books when a girl came in and was asking the owner about the con and she said - Rick Coy is in the store and should be able to answer any question you might have.  The girl goes “The REAL Rick Coy!”.  

After Trekon I was co-chairman of a two day con in West Palm Beach, that wasn’t put on by STFF. It was a lot of fun.

After we were married Ruth and I still went to con both mini and large. The last being a Tropic con in the late 90’s.  Now we both miss the fun of the cons, but most have gotten so expensive to get in and are run by “non-Fans’ that we have stayed away. But a few years ago a library in Maryville TN had mini-con and it was FREE!!! We went and had a blast! We had planned on setting up a table the next year -BUT Covid came.

One of the first things we did after getting married is start our own Fanzine ‘ Florida Fandom”.

Mini-fan profile: Rick Coy