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Jack Melton Boardman, commonly known as John Boardman, (born September 8, 1932) is an American
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate ca ...
. He is a former
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...
of
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...
at Brooklyn College; a noted
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
fan, author and fanzine publisher; and a gaming authority.


Academic career

Boardman earned his BA at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
in 1952 and his MS from
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...
in 1956. He then attended Florida State University to begin his doctoral studies. However, he was expelled in 1957 due to his involvement with the Inter-Civic Council and more specifically for inviting three black Florida A&M
exchange student A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...
s to a Christmas party. He ultimately received his
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
in
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...
at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in 1962; his
doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...
was titled '' Quantization of the
General Theory of Relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics. ...
''. His publications include "Spherical Gravitational Waves" (a collaboration with Peter Bergmann, former research assistant to
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...
), "Contributions to the Quantization Problem in General Relativity", and "The Normal Modes Of A Hanging Oscillator Of Order ''N''".


Boardman and gaming

Boardman was involved in early play-by-mail (PBM) for the ''
Diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
'' game, and for a small fee he would send copies of each player's turns to every other player involved in a game. He is one of the most noted figures in the game of Diplomacy, having established the original play-by-mail setup in 1961, and also the system of numbering each game for statistical purposes. These numbers, known as Boardman Numbers, include the year and a letter indicating sequence. For instance, 2004A was the first game started in 2004. Boardman started the first successful postal
Diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...
, ''Graustark'', in 1963 as an offshoot from his
science fiction fanzine A science-fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science-fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day. They were one of the earliest forms of fanzine, within one of which the term "''fanzine''" was ...
''Knowable''. Soon ''Graustark'' grew from just a gameturn-report newsletter to a hobby activity similar to
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...
s.Meinel, Jim. ''Encyclopedia of Postal Diplomacy Zines''. Great White North Productions, Alaska, USA, 1992. Boardman continued to produce ''Graustark'' for almost 50 years, publishing issue 793 in June 2013.


Science fiction

Boardman has long been an active member of
science fiction fandom 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 ...
, famed for his strong political opinions; and has been the subject of at least two filksongs: "To John Boardman in Brooklyn" and "All Hail to the Fan John B." In addition to ''Knowable'', his
science fiction fanzine A science-fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science-fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day. They were one of the earliest forms of fanzine, within one of which the term "''fanzine''" was ...
s have included ''Dagon'' and ''Anakreon''. He has also written at least two published
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...
stories, "Colon the Conqueror" (a
Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...
parody), published in the May 1958 issue of '' Fantastic Universe''; and "The Testament of Snefru", published in the 1980 anthology '' The Spell of Conan'' ( L. Sprague de Camp, ed.).


"The Asteroid Light"

Boardman's 1961 filksong, "The Asteroid Light" (to the tune of the sea chanty "
Eddystone Light The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse that is located on the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss. View at 1:50000 ...
") has been reprinted repeatedly, in venues ranging from science fiction anthologies (the 1972 anthology ''Futures Conditional'') to '' Sing Out'' magazine (V. 9, #1, p. 24) to collections of protest music ( Glazer, Tom. ''Songs of Peace, Freedom and Protest''. New York: David McKay, 1970). It has also frequently been discussed in papers on filk music.Simpson, Claude M., Jr. "Review: ntitled ''
Western Folklore ''Western Folklore'' is a quarterly academic journal for the study of folklore published by the Western States Folklore Society (formerly the California Folklore Society). It was established in 1942 as the ''California Folklore Quarterly'' and ob ...
, Vol. 21, #4 (Oct., 1962), pp. 290-291
He also wrote a regular column, "Science for Science Fiction", for the first twelve issues of ''Ares'' magazine.


Personal life

After having been a resident of the Flatbush neighborhood of
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
for almost half a century (his house was used as a set in
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
's ''Malcolm X''), Boardman now lives in
Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the inter ...
. Boardman's wife, Perdita, who was previously married to Ray Nelson, died on November 26, 2017 after a long battle with dementia.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, John 1932 births 21st-century American physicists Brooklyn College faculty Diplomacy (game) Iowa State University alumni Living people People from Flatbush, Brooklyn Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Chicago alumni Scientists from New York (state) 20th-century American physicists