WHO CLUB

School starts up again in a week. Although I'm sad to say farewell to summer vacation, I always look forward to meeting my students and putting together our clubs around common interests like Anime and Sci-fi shows. Over my break I had so much fun hearing from my pals Alan and Alys about their experiences as young Doctor Who fans in the UK in the 1970s. In our present internet world it would be hard for my students to imagine a time when there was the FIRST Doctor Who convention, and when there were fan-made zines (and audio zines), and the formation of the Appreciation Society. I've been talking with pop culture historian Andrew Pixley recently about the era and he observed there was a great sense of honesty to those early days, when the pure love for the shows brought fans together for the sheer joy of sharing their enthusiasm and common bond. I think that's how my school clubs function now. Thinking about it now, I can't wait to spend my lunchtimes with my students, immersed in episodes of Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Red Dwarf. Scanning the internet tonight I came across these great images of from the Doctor Who Appreciation Society days in the late 1970s. If there really was such a thing as a Tardis, I'd love to travel back in time and join my friends at their Who events, where they got to meet greats like John Pertwee, and where they met the people who would become their lifelong friends (and spouses!). What a great scene! Looking at these images feels like a touchstone back to those times. And I'm so happy I finally met this tribe of early Whovians, even if I did take the long way around to reach them. Maybe I can interest my students in making a zine about what we watch this year and keep the cycle going. Want to read an old zine? Check out Fury From the Deep. Enjoy!