The Los Angeles Science Fiction League (as it was then called) was founded in 1934, with Ackerman
showing up a year or so later. Bradbury didn't appear until 1937. Then still a teenager, he
turned up at the October 7th meeting, held in Clifton's Cafeteria at 648 South Broadway, with the
words: "Is Mr Yerke here?", having been sent an invitation to attend signed by T. Bruce Yerke.
Above is a contemporary photo of Ackerman from Ted's collection, date and photographer unknown.
The copy of MARVEL TALES in Forry's hand is the fifth and final issue, dated March 1935. This may
or may not be when the picture was taken. Below is a photo of Morojo, Yerke, and Pogo. If that's
the same bush/tree in the background it's possible these two photos were taken on the same occasion.
Morojo was Myrtle R. Douglas ('Morojo' being the pronunciation of her initials in Esperanto), while
Pogo was her cousin Mary Corinne 'Patti' Gray. Ackerman was almost certainly either the photographer
or - more likely - the one holding the spoof newspaper.
Morojo, T.Bruce Yerke, Pogo
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Below is a rather splendid and very sharp photo of a group of LASFS members, half of whom are female -
very unusual for the time. This was taken in T.Bruce Yerke's home in June of 1939 or 1940, and since
Yerke doesn't appear in it we can reasonably infer that he was the photographer.
Top: Virginia 'Jim-E'Laney, Ray Bradbury, Mark Blanck, Bill Crawford
Middle: Cliff Conklin, May Goodman, Beverly Brown, Charlotte Malby, Morojo
Bottom: Henrietta Burdick, Russell T. Hodgkins, Walter Daugherty, Pogo, Forry Ackerman
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Finally, here are two larger details cropped from that group shot. The first shows the dashing
young Ray Bradbury and, no, I don't recognise the names of those either side of him. Virginia was
no relation to Francis Towner Laney, who didn't arrive in L.A. and join the club until November 1943.
Virginia Laney, Ray Bradbury. Mark Blanck
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And heeeeeere's Forry!
Morojo, Pogo, Forry Ackerman
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