Trudi and Bill Puda
I have had Sci-Fi in my blood from birth. Hi, my name is Bill Puda and I was born in 1939. Back in the forties when Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy were at the cutting edge of technology I enjoyed it frame by frame as well as page by page. I never lost hope in Captain Video and the Video Rangers, which has now been replaced with "Fringe and The Event". Our school librarian thought I was a bit strange. I read every SF book they had and wanted more. My first book was "The puppets Masters" by Heinlein, 1951. I subscribed to every SF rag I could find. Astounding Science Fiction. I felt a bond with Werner Von Braum and I wanted to go to Mars with him.
Today we live in the ever changing world of expanding technology. I'm slowing down but high tech is in hyper drive. I just hope and pray that we are able to keep up with all the changes.
Trudi
I was introduced to SF by Jules Verne in fifth grade. The die was cast and what a great way to escape the real world. Anything could happen in SF & Fantasy which help me become a diehard SF fan from that moment on. My reading ability was par for the course. I read, digested and foraged for more. As the movie industry realized that an audience was craving something in SF. In 1956 Forbidden Planet set the stage for a new and financially advantage era. TV began to set its goals on realistic SF values. By the seventies Star Wars made the impact that viewers wanted. This also brought on a new and glorious age of SF writing for the young, a truly untapped resource. Star Trek set the benchmark for TV and the fans responded.
Bill and I had a truly invested need to be a part of Duckon, I loved art and have always loved to deal with the young at heart. My first job with Duckon was the Art Show. I put my heart and soul into it and made it a desirable addition to Duckon . I have to give credit to Mary Lyn Johnson and all her help I also like the idea to be a part of helping to develop an award for S/F writers producing publications for young based on real science as much as possible. The Golden Duck award is truly a part of Duckon.
Being a preschool teacher I could understand the needs of the children in the world SF and then I forged ahead with molding a Child Care department with Duckon that was received well in the world of conventioneers. I even did a stint in the Chicago World SF Convention.
Today we sit back and enjoy the total impact of Duckon and all it has to offer. We are always willing to share our past experiences with those that are truly worthy of deserving it. We are there to help whether they want it or not. Bill was right; it will be a warm winter in Wisconsin before we would miss a Duckon convention.
Trudi and I had an insatiable thirst for SF and little did we know that when we met Jan and Nick we would be introduced to the new world of SF conventions. What a life, a place to go and meet fellow SF fanatics.
The Fab four, Trudi, Jan, Lindalee, and Helen set our sights on new horizons. I along with Bill, Larry, Nick and Doug set our sights on how we could change the universe. Little did we realize that so many people enjoyed SF as much as we did? It opened up a new avenue of experiences we never knew existed. Where would we be without the internet and our handy dandy computer?
Trudi and I aided and abetted the formation of the DuPage SF and Fantasy club that quickly evolved into the ever Infamous Duckon Convention. We had our growing pains but we overcame all obstacles. We will never miss a Duckon Convention. Bill set the standard for Hotel Liaison gaining many perks for everyone involved in Duckon.
I'll never forget the day when I was asked to be Chairman of the Board. Our first order of business was to come up with a name and "Super-con-duc- tivity" was it and it stuck. We had the dubious task of becoming a 501c3 organization. With that we formed the Golden Duck Awards that is given at the World SF convention. Trudi has a voracious appetite for reading and it fits right in with her agenda to help with the Golden Awards. My next adventure with all this was to become treasurer and organize the books so that we could established ourselves as a truly 501c3 group.
As Treasurer I had the honor of being called "The Buck Stops Here." I even received an honorary tee shirt proclaim this.
After a certain point in my life I decided I wanted to enjoy the con instead of dedicating my life to it so I retired and passed the baton over to the next in line. Somewhere there is an archive of our life with Duckon. It's probably on a floppy disk that no one can read anymore.
The one thing you learn early on is that you can never satisfy everyone all the time, but it sure is fun trying. It's like working with clay. You always want to mold the people you meet.
With a past of twenty years, all I can say is "onward Duckon to infinity and beyond."