About this time Eric Jones, President of the Cheltenham Club whom I remembered
primarily because of the lengthy letter he had sent to TRANSURANIC when it was the
official organ of the Charlotte Science Fiction Society, ambled over to me and pressed
a note into my hand.  It enigmatically informed me to be at the convention hall, first
row, at 2:30, and my contention that "I am, too, a TRUFAN - Eney says so:" would be
validated or invalidated.
     "Nothing," said I, "will deter me from proving indisputably my contention,"
Inwardly I was not so positive.  After all, how could I class myself with the TRLTFANS
- with such legendary figures as Rich Ellsberry and W. Max Keasler?  I noticed 'the
appalled looks on the faces oP Sam Moskowitz, Forrest J Ackerman and David A. Kyle,
who overheard my conversation with Eric.  "How," asked Forry, "do you expect to
attain such immortality?  Trufandom is only for the chosen few - only for thoee upon
whom Ghod has chosen to bestow this wreath of foreverness."  To which Sam and Dave
sagely muttered, "Yea, verily, and forsooth."
     The appointed hour arrived,  I pushed my way through the thronging multitude
and took my aeat in the front row,  Sitting with me were Rory Faulkner, Bob Silver-
berg, Ellis Mills, Frank Dietz - and were there one or two others?--all with eyes
aglow awaiting the time-honored "Ceremony of St. Fantony".  The lights dzmmed in the
auditorium; stirring Wagnerian music from "The Ride of the Yalkyrie" crescendoed
through the auditorium like aagry waves of the ocean deep; and, on the stage, stood
several creatures dressed in ancient costume, one of wbom was reading the scroll
that told of the history of St. Fantony and of how only those who were able to drink
of the waters of St, Fantony were permitted access into the revered ranka of Trufan-
dom.  Following the ceremony, a water tumbler full oP the Water of St. Fantony waa
placed in the hands of each of the candidates and we were told to drink.
     And drink we did of the Water of St, Fantony - and never shall I drink of said
water again:  I took one swallow, and a second, and then a third - but the third met
the first coming up, while the second never went down.  I was later told that the
"water" was 140-proof Polish vodka:  But, inasmuch as I valiantly forced the water
tumbler's contents down, I became, Iorevermore, a TRUFAN:  And, to this very day, I
humbly and proudly wear the emblem of St. Fantony on my Tuxedo.
     Seriously, the Ceremony of St. Fantony is quite impressive, and Eric Jones, Bob
Richardson and the other members of the Cheltenham group are to be congratulated for
the incredible amount of effort that went into the production,  And, as a matter of
Pact, I felt quite proud to be a member of the revered order.
     The rest of Sunday's program consisted, primarily, of movies.  I didn't see too
many of them - but I did catch the excellent fan movies produced by Norm Shorrock
and the Liverpool mob - a real George crew if there ever was one.  Norm and the boys
and gals have a knack of combining the tape recorder with their movies, and the
results are something quite proPessional,
     The feature cartoon, "Mr. Wonderbird," consumed the largest portion of the
evening's program but it wss difficult to see from where Sam Moskowitz and I were
sitting, so we, and many others, adjourned to the bar for beer and discussion.
     Ellis Mills was having his big room party Sunday evening and he was telling all
and sundry to be up there about 11:00.  Ellis was the proud possessor of a mighty
large room and when I arrived, in the eompany of Sheldon Deretcbin ("Boy Ugh:") as I
very dimly recall, the joint was really rocking.  Fanswere standing, laying - oops
- lying, all over the place. ,Lawrence SandPield wss strumming away mightily on his
git-fiddle to the utter delight of a11 attendees,  Drinks were flowing freely - and
everyone wa.s having a Fine time when somebody said to be cjuiet because the phone wss
ringing,  Yep - you guessed it - it wss the    r,:who said he wss sorry but he
was trying to sleep and to take our party somewhere else,  (This, inCidental1y" was