Bobbi’s formative experiences were through science fiction books and movies. She recalls: “The Black Stallion books were my favourites. So, my very first science fiction book was The Island Stallion Races by Walter Farley: a lonely boy, horses, aliens, spaceships, a race in Cuba, it was just perfect.”

Her gateway convention was the 1972 WesterCon, at the St Francis Hotel in San Francisco. “It was an amazing experience, and it was like coming home. I did not know that there were other people like me out there, who enjoyed the same stuff I did. It was a revelation. I met a couple of people, connected with Southern California fandom, and that was that.”

She joined LASFS in 1974, and was one of the founders of SCIFI. She co-chaired Smofcon 32 and has worked on many local conventions, bids and Worldcons including Chicon 7 and Glasgow 2024. Her specialty is Exhibits and Facilities and she enjoys coaching younger fans.

Bobbi’s many contributions have been recognised over the years, including being special guest at TusCon III (1975) and Guest of Honor at TusCon 7 (1980), Conzilla (2006), Loscon 42 (2015) and Windycon 45 (2018).

She was also able to turn her hobby, convention running, into her profession, making her living for twenty years with her own event planning company, specialising in small conferences for non-profit organisations that used their events to fund their budgets.

Now retired, along with her husband, in Venice Beach, Southern California, Bobbi continues to work on conventions, as well as film studies, following NFL and tennis, and supporting causes involved with homelessness.

“During the pandemic, what kept me going were the connections (and honing my Zoom skills). Connections to people and to art, those things that really feed your soul. It was a matter of figuring out what I needed to keep me sane and arranging for it. For Glasgow in 2024, I am most excited for the people who are going to be there – my extended European family, everybody I’ve not seen for a while and will get to play and spend time with, and exploring Scotland.“