James Ford “Butch” Allen is best known as the “God of MarsCon”, having become involved in its infancy and helping to keep it alive for over twenty years. He recently chaired his fifth straight MarsCon. He began working on SF conventions in 1982 when he joined HaRoSFa (The Hampton Roads Science Fiction Association). He attended Sci-Con 4,
walked into the Con Suite to volunteer and was hooked. During the years of Sci-Con, he was instrumental in improving many areas of the con, as well as chairing Sci-Con 8 and serving as vice-chair on three others. Over his lifetime, he has assisted many other local cons, by helping them fill voids in whatever area needed help. During his active years in HaRoSFa, he served several terms as President and Vice-President of the club, and revived the clubs fanzine “The Liberated Quark”, where he split the duties of editor and writer, and is best known for his “Redneck’s in Space” short stories.
Butch was born in Shelby NC, attended Crest High School, and joined the US Coast Guard in an effort to avoid the Draft and Viet Nam. After serving for four years, one month and nineteen days as a Radioman, copying morse code and monitoring the International Distress Frequencies, he attended The College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City NC,
where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was Vice-President of the Student Council. He parlayed his armed service background and Associate Degree into his current position at NASA Langley in Hampton Virginia where he has been employed as an Electrical Engineering Technician since 1978. When not involved in running Science Fiction Conventions, Butch is an avid fan of Atlanta Braves Baseball and UNC Tarheels basketball.
He currently lives in Hampton Virginia, where he resides with his beautiful wife Beverley and their slightly neurotic cat Priscilla.