The sudden death of Chris Boyce creates a major hole in the fabric of UK science fiction, not solely because of the loss of his writing talents. Chris was very much a larger than life character. He didn't so much have a finger in every pie as enthusiastically plunge in both arms all the way up to the elbows. But always with utmost tact, for though his voice could be gruff, and he was mainly self-educated and from an Irish- Glasgow working-class background, Chris was a true gentleman, in every way.
Back in 1963, when he was a slim kid of 19, he joined ASTRA, the Association in Scotland To Research into Astronautics, and he remained an active member throughout his life. Indeed, at the time of his death aged 55, at the end of June, he was in the process of initiating a website for ASTRA Glasgow Branch, or "ASTRA Central" as he called it.
A few years after he first joined ASTRA, he set up the Glasgow Science Fiction Circle. In time, this begat the Friends of Kilgore Trout, which in turn begat the Albacon Science Fiction Conventions, Intersection - The Glasgow Worldcon, and recently the Scottish Science Fiction Federation. In one way or another, Chris was involved with all of these, but he didn't stop at Glasgow, he attended conventions all over, and was the one guy who could always be relied on for this panel or that one or whatever, and he also set up a number of websites, particularly his fabulous ET Presence site http://www.et-presence.ndirect.co.uk/ Catch it while it still exists!
A research librarian, first with Glasgow's famous Mitchell Library, then with the Herald newspaper, Chris contributed a number of books of his own. First there was the science fiction novel, "Catchworld" in 1974. This was a joint winner of the Gollancz/Sunday Times SF Award. Then there was his second SF novel, "Brainfix" in 1978. His serious work on the probabilities of ET - "Extraterrestrial Encounter" came out a year later in 1979. In 1991, with Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, he set up a small publishing house, "Dog & Bone", and a little later, he used this to bring out his political thriller, "Blooding Mr Naylor" of which there may one day, be a film.
As Chairman of Hogmanaycon, I will always remember that Chris was the first supporter to instantly cough up Full Attending Membership, rather than simply the supporting membership fee, but being Chris he didn't stop there, he looked to see what else we needed, noticed we didn't yet have a website, set one up for us, and has been our webmaster ever since.
He is survived by his wife Angela Mullane (a well-known solicitor), by his two teenage daughters, Petra and Toni, and by a stack of SF conventions and websites all over UK and the rest of the planet, now wondering how they'll survive without him.
Andy Nimmo.