Elliot K. Shorter (1939-2013)

Fan, bookseller, and former Locus editor Elliot K. Shorter, 74, died October 1, 2013 of cancer.

Shorter began attending conventions in 1962 and was a major figure in ’60s and ’70s fandom. He officially joined Locus as assistant editor with issue #9 in October 1968 and remained on staff until 1970. He also worked on publications including Engram, the Heicon Flyer, and Niekas. He was the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund winner in 1970, representing North American fandom at Heicon, the 28th Worldcon, in Heidelberg Germany that year, where he was also Fan Guest of Honor. He was part of the “7 in ’77” Worldcon bid and helped run Suncon, the 1977 Worldcon. Shorter was active in many organizations, including the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Tolkien Society of America, and was an original Fellow of NESFA.

Elliot Kay Shorter was born April 2, 1939. He attended the Bronx School of Science and studied chemistry at CUNY City College, and served in the Army as a military policeman stationed in Germany. For a time Shorter ran specialty bookshop Merlin’s Closet in Providence RI, founded in 1979. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in September 2013.