Jan Howard Finder (March 2, 1939 – February 26, 2013) was an American academic administrator,

career counselor Career counseling is a type of advice-giving and support provided by career counselors to their clients, to help the clients manage their journey through life, learning and work changes ( career). This includes career exploration, making career ...

, science fiction writer,

filker Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. Etymology and defin ...

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

ling tour guide, cosplayer, and fan. He was a guest of honor at the 1993 Worldcon, ConFrancisco. As a personal affectation, he often spelled his name in all lower case letters, jan howard finder. (His last name is pronounced ''finn-der''.)

Background and work

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Finder became a devotee of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien in 1964, when he "spent three straight days curled up at his parents’ house" reading '' The Lord of the Rings''. He studied academic administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and while there organized the "First Conference on Middle-earth", in 1969. In 1971, he held the second "Conference on Middle-earth" at

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

, where he was working as an assistant dean. He ended up spending most of his life as a career counselor for various employers, including a stint at the United States Army's Fort Drum.

Science fiction

Finder, nicknamed "The Wombat," was a frequent guest of honor at science fiction conventions, including "Honored Guest" at ConFrancisco (the 1993 Worldcon).SciFi Fan Gallery page on Jan Howard Finder
/ref> He was also Fan Guest of Honor at BYOB-Con 8 (1978), Lastcon 1 (1981, Albany NY),

LepreCon LepreCon is an annual science fiction convention with an emphasis on art held in and around Phoenix, Arizona usually in May around Mother's Day weekend. It is the second oldest science fiction convention in Arizona. It is sponsored by Lepr ...

8 (1982), Genericon 1 (1985), NotJustAnotherCon 4 (1988), and Arisia 12 (2001).LepreCon web site
/ref> He was a co-founder of

Albacon Albacon is the Albany science fiction convention, held each year in the Albany, New York area, also called the Capital District. Albacon is the largest "Con" in upstate New York, United States. It is hosted by LASTSFA, or Latham-Albany-Sche ...

. He was the chairperson of several science fiction conventions not specifically dedicated to the writings of Tolkien. He was chair of

in 1996 and of the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) 32 in Schenectady, New York in 2001. Well known in

fannish Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

circles, Finder was editor of the

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

''The Spang Blah''. Until 2011 he was "scribe" ( secretary) of the Latham-Albany-Schenectady-Troy Science Fiction Association. The Wombat was a frequent

masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

judge, costumer charity auctioneer, and participant in panel discussions, from Arisia and

in the Northeast United States to Worldcons and Lunacon 2007. He also mentored other prospective con chairs. Finder wrote in the short story genre, and his short fiction writing has been published in several anthologies, including "The Grapes of Rath" (1980) in ''Microcosmic Tales'' (1981). He edited the 1982

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

''Alien Encounters'' (1982) Taplinger , which included short stories by Lynn Abbey,

Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of '' Analog Science Fiction and F ...

Lee Killough Karen Lee Killough (born 1942) is an American veterinary radiographer and writer of science fiction mystery novels under the name Lee Killough. She lives and works in Manhattan, Kansas. Writing career Killough began her writing career with ...

, David Langford, and Ian Watson, among others. Finder was tuckerized when Anne McCaffrey named a character for him.

Tour guide

Finder was well known for his organized

ling tours of science-fiction and -fantasy related sites, such as to " Middle-earth"—meaning New Zealand, where '' The Lord of the Rings'' was filmed.

Film

Finder played a

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

in the 2006 film '' UnCivil Liberties'', and was a production assistant for the 2006 motion picture '' The Break-Up''.IMDb listing for Jan Howard Finder
/ref>

Recent events

For 2011, Finder organized the "3rd Conference on Middle-earth" (deliberately hearkening back to those of 1969 and 1971 which he had led), in Westford, Massachusetts. "I just finally said, 'I want to do it, and I don't give a damn if I lose money—I'll pay for it... "This is something I've wanted to do for 40 years." Finder retired from academia and battled

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

, spending parts of March and August 2011 in the hospital.

Death

Finder died at

Albany Medical Center Hospital Albany Medical Center (AMC) is the name of the umbrella organization over the Albany Medical Center Hospital and Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. Though the name Albany Medical Center referring to the two institutions on their shared ca ...

on February 26, 2013, five days before his 74th birthday, from renal and liver failure. He was undergoing a course of chemotherapy at the time.

References

External links

''The Wombat: There & back Again, a Wombat's Holiday'' by jan howard finder

Image on Flickr
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Jan Howard Finder
in '' The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Finder, Jan Howard 1939 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers Career counselors Cleveland State University people Deaths from kidney failure Deaths from liver failure Filkers Novelists from Illinois Tour guides University of Illinois College of Education alumni Writers from Chicago