<html>

<head>
<title></title>
</head>

<body>
<div align="center"><center>

<table border="0" width="72%" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5">
  <tr>
    <td width="24%"><p align="center"><img src="vppics/Nancycrop.gif" width="114" height="319"
    alt="Nancycrop.gif (20336 bytes)"></td>
    <td width="76%" align="center"><p align="left">Like any neighborhood, VenicePlace has its
    joys and sorrows.&nbsp; The unexpected death of&nbsp; NancyT23 was a terrible shock.
    &nbsp; Nancy was an important part of VenicePlace and her loss brought out beautiful
    tributes to this intelligent, lovely friend who we will always miss.&nbsp; This site is a
    tribute to Nancy and our feelings for her.&nbsp; What follows is some of Nancy's messages
    to the list, and some of our farewell messages to her.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Anyone interested in contributing to the memorial fund for Nancy's children, write to:
    &nbsp; <a href="mailto:FlamingoSlim@delphi.com">FlamingoSlim@delphi.com</a></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</center></div>

<p>Nancy's letters:</p>

<p>From: NancyT23<br>
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 14:54:27 -0400 (EDT)<br>
Subject: Re: Nancy introduces herself.</p>

<p>Hi Everyone!</p>

<p>I just joined the list and I think someone is nudging me to do an <br>
intro, so here goes! I'm a 34-year-old mother of two and I live <br>
in Chicago, IL.&nbsp; I've been a Starsky &amp; Hutch fan since the <br>
original series aired, but have only seen one episode since TNT <br>
picked it up.&nbsp; That's a long time, and I am still really rusty, <br>
but I've gobbled down all the fanfic I could find on the Net to <br>
help me catch up.&nbsp; (Thank you Alexis Rogers and Cindy Robinson!)&nbsp; </p>

<p>I'm married to a terrific guy who, when we started dating in <br>
1978, was willing to take a back seat to all Starsky &amp; Hutch <br>
episodes.&nbsp; He's a graphics designer and all around computer <br>
expert, which comes in handy now that I'm hooked into the <br>
Internet in a big way.&nbsp; He also happens to like slash, a taste he <br>
acquired from me during our high school years, so who knows?&nbsp; If <br>
we make it off the waiting list he may be the only guy at Z-Con!&nbsp; </p>

<p>In the real world I do the usual &quot;wife and mom&quot; sort of stuff, <br>
including church and school involvement and community volunteer <br>
work.&nbsp; In addition to my two daughters, ages 4 and 6, I have an <br>
Australian Shepherd and 3 cats.&nbsp; (The concept &quot;feline fanaticism&quot; <br>
comes to mind!)&nbsp; I'm also a big fan of Miami Vice, Highlander, La <br>
Femme Nikita and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.</p>

<p>I'll be looking forward to getting to know you guys, and thanks <br>
again, Flamingo, for recruiting me!&nbsp; :-)</p>

<p>NancyT<br>
</p>

<p>Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 13:11:16 -0500 (EST)<br>
From: NancyT23@aol.com<br>
Subject: Re: Who are we???</p>

<p>Hi Ro, Flamingo and everyone!</p>

<p>Along with S&amp;H, my best-loved fandom is VICE.&nbsp; Castillo and&nbsp; <br>
Crockett are a source of endless fascination for me (as Flamingo, <br>
Kath or Gloria&nbsp; A. can surely attest to, having heard me go on <br>
(and on) about them.)&nbsp; I&nbsp; used to write and edit boring stuff for <br>
a living (I'm a recovering&nbsp; attorney) but my real love is writing <br>
fiction.&nbsp; I wrote 'slash' stories back in my&nbsp; teens, long before <br>
I knew what 'slash' was or that anyone else liked it.&nbsp; It&nbsp; wasn't <br>
until I started surfing the Net less than a year ago that I <br>
discovered&nbsp; fan fiction; ZebraCon was my first-ever &quot;fandom&quot; <br>
event.&nbsp; It was also the first&nbsp; time I had even seen a slash 'zine <br>
and realized how much *incredible*&nbsp; fiction I'd been missing.&nbsp; <br>
&gt; <br>
&gt;&nbsp; I write in many fandoms: S&amp;H,&nbsp; K/S, VICE,<br>
&gt;&nbsp; SENTINEL, HIGHLANDER, PROS,&nbsp; UNCLE and probably a dozen more&nbsp; <br>
that I've<br>
&gt;&nbsp; forgotten to mention.</p>

<p>Ro, I would dearly love to know how I can get a hold of your VICE&nbsp; <br>
fiction.&nbsp;&nbsp; If it's anywhere near as good as your S&amp;H stuff I'd <br>
gladly walk&nbsp; over hot coals to get it.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Does anyone else on this list write Miami Vice fiction?&nbsp; I mean,&nbsp; <br>
other than the Sultana of Pinkness, of course . . . </p>

<p>And Flamingo, l *hope* you're busy writing the sequel to Phone&nbsp; <br>
Sex.&nbsp; Or I might have to start begging.&nbsp; And trust me, it <br>
wouldn't be&nbsp; pretty.</p>

<p>Happy Thanksgiving, Venice Place.</p>

<p>TTYL,</p>

<p>NancyT23<br>
</p>

<p>From: NancyT23 &lt;NancyT23@aol.com&gt;<br>
Subject: Re: VP: Effective Slashing<br>
To: carbook@mnsinc.com, mars@jbx.com</p>

<p>In a message dated 98-04-07 09:57:14 EDT, carbook@mnsinc.com&nbsp; <br>
writes:<br>
&gt;&nbsp; <br>
&gt;&nbsp; Hey guys!<br>
&gt;&nbsp; Where are all the con survivors!&nbsp; Were there any? :&nbsp; D&nbsp; We
&nbsp; <br>
need lots and<br>
&gt;&nbsp; lots of good gossip here!</p>

<p>Heh, heh, heh...who *says* any of us survived?&nbsp; And if any of us&nbsp; <br>
did (for now I'm pleading the 5th on that) we might well have <br>
been smothered&nbsp; to death under the&nbsp; hundreds of unanswered e-<br>
mails that piled up in our&nbsp; absences.&nbsp; Seriously, though, it was <br>
quite an experience -- one that's forced me to&nbsp; compose an <br>
addendum to my 7 Rules for Highly Effective Slashers.&nbsp; </p>

<p>8.&nbsp; Stay out of the way if something (or someone) with pink&nbsp; <br>
feathers is trying to&nbsp;&nbsp; mate two VCRs.&nbsp; Unless you're holding the <br>
lamp.&nbsp; Or a&nbsp; flashlight.&nbsp; Or you want your arm shoved into a very <br>
deep, very tight space (aw, get&nbsp; your minds out of the gutter!)</p>

<p>9.&nbsp; Never bring a handgun to a Con unless it's in a strong case&nbsp; <br>
with a huge padlock.&nbsp; You never know *who* will turn out to be <br>
gun shy.&nbsp; Heh,&nbsp; heh, heh...</p>

<p>10.&nbsp; Don't bring handcuffs either, unless you're ready to watch a&nbsp; <br>
stuffed zebra&nbsp; hang from a light fixture in bondage all weekend.</p>

<p>11.&nbsp; Be prepared to shamelessly beg and bribe the maid -- you'll&nbsp; <br>
have to, if you want all the glittery party confetti vacuumed up <br>
without any&nbsp; penetrating questions as to why some are shaped like <br>
sperm.</p>

<p>12.&nbsp; If you and your 3 slasher roommates decide to take a mid- <br>
afternoon nap, expect the phone to ring repeatedly and a visit <br>
from at least one&nbsp; macho repair man who needs to fix your <br>
bathroom light.&nbsp; (We don't know what&nbsp; else he could take care of, <br>
since this is--after all--a *slash* con and there&nbsp; are no men <br>
present for him to &quot;bond&quot; with.)</p>

<p>13.&nbsp; Make sure no one is secretly recording (for blackmail&nbsp; <br>
purposes, of course) your slash renditions of party stories from <br>
the Talk&nbsp; Dirty to Me Game. After all, what would people think if <br>
they heard all that fussing&nbsp; about &quot;hot, juicy packages?&quot;&nbsp; Or <br>
Jim, Blair, Starsky and Hutch playing poker&nbsp; while simultaneously <br>
playing with something else?&nbsp; Or (my personal&nbsp; favorite, but it's <br>
just my Miami Vice kink) Sonny Crockett's visit with&nbsp; Castillo <br>
the Dentist?</p>

<p>14.&nbsp; But make *sure* someone has a camera ready the next time&nbsp; <br>
Crow Row ruts with the rug.&nbsp; Excellent technique!</p>

<p>15.&nbsp; If our Gentle Listmother *ever* says she hates playing&nbsp; <br>
Charades, believe her.&nbsp; She repeated this so many times during <br>
the game that it&nbsp; simply must be true.</p>

<p>16.&nbsp; Try to avoid playing Charades at any cost -- these women are&nbsp; <br>
sadistic.</p>

<p>17.&nbsp; If you *can't* avoid playing Charades, just make sure you're&nbsp; <br>
on the same team with Crow Row and L. Cabrillo.&nbsp; That way you'll <br>
be sure to&nbsp; win.&nbsp; Ro has ESP, and Linda knows ever SH title, <br>
fact, quote and trivia bit&nbsp; ever known to man.&nbsp; Example:&nbsp; I was <br>
given the quote &quot;You have 24 hours to live,&nbsp; pig&quot; to act out.&nbsp; <br>
All I had to do was indicate it was a quote, and how many&nbsp; words <br>
there were, then move right on to Word Number 7.&nbsp; I snorted once,&nbsp; <br>
loudly. Boldly, even.&nbsp; If memory serves correctly, the Pink One <br>
bitched about me&nbsp; vocalizing. I believe it was Ro who yelled <br>
&quot;pig!&quot; and Linda who then spewed&nbsp; out the entire quote -- all in <br>
less than 10 seconds I'm sure.&nbsp; Scary.&nbsp; Really,&nbsp; really, scary.</p>

<p>And, finally, the 18th rule for Highly Effective Slashers:<br>
&nbsp; </p>

<p>18.&nbsp; Let someone else on the list (preferably someone with a&nbsp; <br>
deathwish) deal the *really* juicy gossip.&nbsp; Especially when the <br>
guilty parties&nbsp; all know where you live.&nbsp; And you all know that I <br>
am far too weak, timid, soft- spoken, puritanical and polite to <br>
*ever* engage (or even be in the same&nbsp; room as) the sort of <br>
nefarious goings-on that earned this group the&nbsp; appellation of <br>
&quot;perverts&quot; in the first place. </p>

<p>TTYL,</p>

<p>NancyT23 </p>

<p>P.S.&nbsp; Forget whatever rumors you might have heard that I go weeks&nbsp; <br>
without sleep or have a serious impulse control problem.&nbsp; I don't <br>
know&nbsp; *how* anyone ever got such a silly idea in the first place!<br>
</p>

<p>Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 13:24:58 -0400 (EDT)<br>
From: NancyT23 &lt;NancyT23@aol.com&gt;<br>
Subject: Re: VP/Connexions Thank Yous</p>

<p>Hi All,</p>

<p>The Gropeable Glo writes: </p>

<p>&gt;&nbsp; Sorry I haven't had much of a chance to post lately. </p>

<p>But we're so glad you're back and getting caught up.&nbsp; :-)</p>

<p>&gt;&nbsp; Anyway, I am feeling very remiss and I wanted to take the time <br>
to say some<br>
&gt;&nbsp; special thank you's to all the wonderful ladies who made my <br>
recent birthday<br>
&gt;&nbsp; such a special occasion for me.</p>

<p>And a wonderful job you did thanking everyone, too!&nbsp; You're so&nbsp; <br>
very welcome.</p>

<p>&gt;Wow...two short <br>
&gt; years<br>
&gt;&nbsp; ago and I didn't know any of you. I was only coming to know&nbsp; <br>
that an SH <br>
&gt; fandom<br>
&gt;&nbsp; even existed. And now it, and all of you, are such a&nbsp; <br>
prominent, vital part <br>
&gt; of my life that I don't know how I ever lived without it.</p>

<p>Amazing, isn't it, how you can find a place and suddenly feel so&nbsp; <br>
much at home? I feel exactly the same way, except *I've* only <br>
been involved for&nbsp; the six short months since Z-Con.&nbsp; </p>

<p>&gt;&nbsp; The gift that blew me away beyond all the rest, however, was&nbsp; <br>
THE TEE SHIRT. <br>
&gt; It was a white tee shirt, *hand* painted by Nancy T23 and&nbsp; <br>
Moonshine Kath,<br>
&gt;&nbsp; decorated with all kinds of colorful groping hands. </p>

<p>I'm so glad you like it, Glo!&nbsp; Alas, you've given me far too much&nbsp; <br>
credit for this work of art because the real artistic genius in <br>
this duo is&nbsp; Kath.&nbsp; All I really did was facilitate the materials <br>
acquisition and&nbsp; 'supervise' (good heavens, I sound so managerial <br>
it's scary; but that's what&nbsp; happens when you get a bad rep as a <br>
'consensus builder').&nbsp; Kath's the one who&nbsp; actually got her hands <br>
dirty (literally); I was amazed after the fact at how&nbsp; *little* <br>
excess paint wound up in places in the house where it didn't <br>
belong&nbsp; (like on the cats and furniture).</p>

<p>&gt;&nbsp; I want to thank Nancy and Kath again. I only just met these&nbsp; <br>
wonderful ladies<br>
&gt;&nbsp; at ZCon in October, and yet they took so much time and care&nbsp; <br>
into making this<br>
&gt;&nbsp; shirt for me. I was incredibly moved by this gesture.</p>

<p>Hey, I'm just glad I was able to be in Baltimore the week before&nbsp; <br>
the Con so I could help Flamingo and Kath with the preparations.&nbsp; <br>
I had a&nbsp; terrific time doing it, even if I was doubled over in <br>
laughter for most of the&nbsp; time.... </p>

<p>I'm very glad you're all in my life.</p>

<p>Love,</p>

<p>NancyT23 (who's trying to find back-to-back panels to moderate at&nbsp; <br>
MWC so she can avoid the trauma of further psychic (and psycho) <br>
charades).</p>

<p>Just kidding.</p>

<p>I think.<br>
</p>

<p>Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 15:08:39 -0400 (EDT)<br>
From: NancyT23@aol.com<br>
Subject: Re: [VP] Another Con Report<br>
</p>

<p>Hi, Everyone,</p>

<p>Now that my sunny writing partner has put her inimitable perky&nbsp; <br>
spin on things, I feel inspired to add what few disjointed <br>
details I can dredge&nbsp; up from my deeply disturbed and sleep-<br>
deprived cranium (my brain's still off&nbsp; somewhere reading galley <br>
proofs, I think).</p>

<p>&gt;&nbsp; Wednesday:<br>
&gt;&nbsp; Packed like fiend</p>

<p>And thank goodness she remembered to pack my favorite t-shirt&nbsp; <br>
that's been living on the East Coast ever since Connexions <br>
(please, please,&nbsp; no snooty remarks about its miniscule size). </p>

<p>&gt;&gt;Had to change planes and telephoned my fan writing buddy<br>
&gt;&nbsp; Nancy TWICE to check on the progress of a writing project</p>

<p>Yep, hard to collaborate when one of you is on a plane...</p>

<p> (can we say, &quot;Down to the wire???&quot;) </p>

<p>We could say lots of things, but everyone would simply chalk it&nbsp; <br>
up to insanity. **Memo to self:&nbsp; In the future, don't still be <br>
writing&nbsp; first draft two days before the zine is to premiere at <br>
MediaWest.**&nbsp; That was&nbsp; the week I did not sleep.&nbsp; I didn't even <br>
finish proofing galleys until 9:00&nbsp; a.m. on Friday morning!&nbsp; The <br>
zine wasn't printed 'til almost noon, and&nbsp; forget about binding <br>
it!&nbsp; My husband Erik and I had four hours to get from&nbsp; Chicago to <br>
Lansing by car, and it was all we could do to stay awake en&nbsp; <br>
route.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Never having been to MWC before, I blithely assumed I could&nbsp; <br>
volunteer for a ton of panels and they'd put me on one.</p>

<p>WRONG.</p>

<p>They put me on them all.&nbsp; Or it felt like it.&nbsp; So the *first*&nbsp; <br>
thing I did when we got to the Con, while Erik bound zines in the <br>
car, was to&nbsp; moderate a writing workshop on using song lyrics.&nbsp; <br>
Thanks, Kath, for being&nbsp; at the panel, binding, hauling, and <br>
everything else!</p>

<p>Somehow&nbsp; we also managed to hook up with my buddy L. Cabrillo and&nbsp; <br>
the awesome Karen M. and Lisa L. (thanks for the room, Karen!) <br>
... and, of&nbsp; course, Linda R.!</p>

<p>Friday evening passed by in a blur of sleep deprivation and zine&nbsp; <br>
binding, though I dimly recall happy reunions with Flamingo, <br>
Anne, Glo, Ro&nbsp; and Kelly.</p>

<p>We never did manage to leave time for breakfast.&nbsp; Saturday Erik&nbsp; <br>
and I each had two panels, his on publishing and mine on writing.&nbsp; <br>
My panels&nbsp; were back to back, and very well-attended <br>
(understandable, since neither was&nbsp; fandom-specific.)&nbsp; In <br>
particular, my panels seemed to be well-attended&nbsp; by dogs. <br>
Including one that heckled us (well, what do *you* call sporadic&nbsp; <br>
barking during a presentation?) and one that gave people fleas.&nbsp; <br>
Next&nbsp; year I'm bringing *my* dog!</p>

<p>&gt;&nbsp; MV 'zines.&nbsp; Then I had to take a slice of time to go down to&nbsp; <br>
the Meijer's<br>
&gt;&nbsp; Grocery store and more and order the S&amp;H Room Party and&nbsp; <br>
Birthday cake for<br>
&gt;&nbsp; our three birthday girls--Linda Lcabrillo, NancyT23 and Karen&nbsp; <br>
De Mann. </p>

<p>And what a lovely surprise it was! Thank you, everyone!&nbsp; (Even if&nbsp; <br>
they *didn't* let me use my pig snort during the actual charades <br>
game&nbsp; &lt;sniff&gt; at least I still got to play on the phenomenal <br>
telepathic team where&nbsp; Ro and Linda can decipher whole phrases <br>
based on one syllable.)&nbsp; Other&nbsp; highlights included meeting <br>
Paladin, CJ, Mel and Mayuko--what a terrific bunch of&nbsp; list sibs!</p>

<p>Sunday was all panels, including two I moderated (Don Johnson and&nbsp; <br>
historical research as a fiction writing tool).&nbsp; Had another <br>
panel on&nbsp; killing off characters, but the highlights were the S/H <br>
slash panel and the&nbsp; STIFfies.&nbsp; The S/H discussion was <br>
fascinating to me, especially when we&nbsp; discussed how we get the <br>
boys together *before* Sweet Revenge, working around all&nbsp; those <br>
tiring women they date... And the STIFfies were great because so <br>
many of my buddies won!&nbsp;&nbsp; :-)</p>

<p>I was especially pleased that Flamingo won in the Miami Vice&nbsp; <br>
category for the story Ro and Kelly published -- it's a small <br>
fandom and I was&nbsp; glad to see the support.&nbsp; Finally had a chance <br>
to go trolling and picked up some terrific&nbsp; zines, including some <br>
SH ones that were new to me because I hadn't&nbsp; gotten them at Z-<br>
Con!</p>

<p>Then of course there was the art auction and --as Kath put it--&nbsp; <br>
the tribal dinners with the usual suspects.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Needless to say, the time passed by too quickly and I'm already&nbsp; <br>
signed up and looking forward to next year!</p>

<p>Love,</p>

<p>NancyT23<br>
</p>

<p>Our tributes to Nancy:<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: [VP] OT: Sad And Shocking News About A List Member Date: <br>
Wed, 17 Feb 1999 23:56:29 -0500<br>
From: moonshine71</p>

<p>It is with extreme sadness and enormous grief that I must report <br>
the passing of one of our list-sisters.&nbsp; NancyT23 has died <br>
unexpectedly today in her home.&nbsp; She was an exceptionally <br>
talented individual whose passing is a tremendous loss to her <br>
friends in particular and fandom as a whole. In a couple of days, <br>
when things are calmer, I will provide memorial information.&nbsp; <br>
Please think good thoughts for Nancy and those who love her at <br>
this trying time.</p>

<p>Pax, <br>
Kath<br>
<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: [VP] Missing Nancy<br>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 00:03:03 -0500<br>
From: FlamingoSlim</p>

<p>I met Nancy over on the Miami Vice gen list just about 2 years <br>
ago.&nbsp; The gen list was not a very warm place and was openly <br>
hostile to slash, so any time any of the gen list members <br>
approached me privately I was cautious about bringing up that <br>
topic.&nbsp; We wrote back enormous emails for awhile and danced <br>
around the slash issue and when I finally broached her about the <br>
subject, she was so relieved because she was a major slash fan <br>
and wasn't sure how *I* felt about it.&nbsp; </p>

<p>After some more correspondence, I invited her to join <br>
VenicePlace.&nbsp; I wasn't the list mom then, Robin was, so I wrote <br>
to Robin and Nancy joined us.&nbsp; What I didn't know was that was <br>
just a short time before this, she had had to deal with the death <br>
of both her parents within a week's time.&nbsp; She told me much later <br>
that the warm, open atmosphere of VenicePlace-- so different from <br>
the Vice list-- was a tremendous comfort during this difficult <br>
time.&nbsp; She felt as if she'd found a home in fandom because of <br>
VenicePlace, and many of her closest fan friends she met through <br>
VP.&nbsp; Nancy was very active on the list in those days.&nbsp; While she <br>
was an avid Vice fan, she'd grown up with S&amp;H and they were her <br>
first slash pair.&nbsp; Nancy helped a lot with the establishment of <br>
the two SH Archives alone with other list members, including <br>
working out various issues that many of us had concerns about.&nbsp; <br>
Her intelligence, her wit, and her caring were prodigious and I <br>
always felt intellectually lacking in her presence -- not because <br>
she *made* me feel that way but because her own brilliance was so <br>
outstanding that it was hard not to be a little breathless in its <br>
presence.</p>

<p>Shortly after I got Nancy into VP, I asked her where she lived <br>
and found out she was in Chicago.&nbsp; &quot;Ever heard of Z-con?&quot; I <br>
asked.&nbsp; The con was only a week or so away and memberships were <br>
sold out, but we contacted some people and suddenly she and her <br>
husband were able to attend.&nbsp; That was her first con.&nbsp; And that <br>
was the first time I got to meet her in person.</p>

<p>She was a powerhouse personality packed into a small but fierce <br>
human.&nbsp; Her intensity was impressive, as was her humor, her quick <br>
smile, and her ability to laugh at herself.&nbsp; She was a helluva <br>
writer and a damned good editor, and cared about fandom with the <br>
same passion she brought to everything she did.&nbsp; She wanted so <br>
much to give back to fandom because of what she felt fandom gave <br>
to her that she made it a point to get actively involved in cons, <br>
promoting both SH and Vice, volunteering for panels and heavily <br>
promoting Vice and SH slash whenever she could.&nbsp; </p>

<p>She was always the first one willing to help throw birthday <br>
parties, fandom parties, celebrate someone else, edit other <br>
people's stories, and she was tireless at encouraging me in my <br>
writing, especially during my doubting and slack periods.&nbsp; The <br>
night before the first Connexions con I was in such a complete <br>
sense of disarray I couldn't even manage to get packed.&nbsp; Nancy <br>
had spent part of the day with Kath and me with my crane chicks, <br>
feeding the baby birds and showing a lot of interest in what I <br>
did, and that night, while we talked non-stop, she helped me <br>
organize the things I needed for the con, and helped me pack.&nbsp; I <br>
don't know that I ever would've gotten there without that help <br>
from her.&nbsp; I never spent an evening in Nancy's company that I <br>
didn't see night turn to morning but I was always the one who had <br>
to turn in first -- Nancy could always outlast me.&nbsp; </p>

<p>I wrote to Nancy just this past Monday.&nbsp; I needed a favor from <br>
her and I wanted to thank her for sending me something I'd asked <br>
her for.&nbsp; I also wanted to ask if she was ready to look at <br>
something I wanted to send her for a Vice zine she was trying to <br>
put together.&nbsp; I sent her a brief note and commented that I knew <br>
she had to be incredibly busy since she hadn't posted anything <br>
while we were talking about writing -- a topic she always found <br>
fascinating and could talk about for days.&nbsp; She wrote me back <br>
that yes, she had a lot going on, told me of course she would <br>
help me with the favor and once again waxed poetic about one of <br>
my Vice stories that she loved and she was dying to see whatever <br>
I could get together for the zine.&nbsp; The note was brief and upbeat <br>
and all Nancy, if a little light.&nbsp; As usual, she asked about my <br>
pets, especially my cats.&nbsp; </p>

<p>The day I received her response, my oldest cat Crystal, the 17 <br>
year old matriarch of our house, had to be euthanized.&nbsp; It wasn't <br>
a surprise, but it's always sad to say goodbye to an old friend.&nbsp; <br>
I didn't answer Nancy's email that day, because Crystal was her <br>
favorite of my cats and I didn't want to talk about it right <br>
away.&nbsp; And I didn't want to make Nancy sad.&nbsp; So, I just thought <br>
I'd wait a day or two to answer her email. By the next day, she <br>
was gone. I'm so grateful now that we had that brief, friendly <br>
correspondence together, just those few words.</p>

<p>I haven't really accepted the loss of this beautiful, vibrant <br>
woman.&nbsp; My heart goes out to her husband and children and the <br>
friends she had who were much closer to her than I was.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Nancy was good at giving.&nbsp; She gave love, she gave friendship, <br>
she gave help.&nbsp; She gave a lot.</p>

<p>Martha suggested on the phone to me that we consider putting <br>
together some kind of memorial to her, and I would love that.&nbsp; <br>
For those of us who will be meeting at cons later in the year, <br>
I'd like to help organize some memorial service for Nancy's <br>
friends in fandom.</p>

<p>Nancy had a home here on VP.&nbsp; We'll hang a wreath with a black <br>
band on the door and remember our friend.</p>

<p>Flamingo<br>
<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: Re: [VP] Missing Nancy<br>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 13:16:42 +0100<br>
From: Mona </p>

<p>Dear Girls!</p>

<p>This is Mona from Germany (--- staying out of bed for a while... <br>
Some of you may already know, that I've been given bedrest until <br>
the delivery of&nbsp; the baby - which should be due next saturday. <br>
That's why I'm not able to&nbsp; answer my e-mails or read very much <br>
of them.)</p>

<p>It came to me as an enormous shock that in the first mail I've <br>
read for the last 8 weeks I had to discover the sad news about <br>
Nancy's death. </p>

<p>I had a little bit of private e-mail-contact with her and she <br>
seemed very&nbsp; nice to me.</p>

<p>Now I'm very upset, because I just discovered, that I haven't <br>
answered Nancy's last two e-mails and it drives me crazy, that <br>
now I'll never have another chance to do so. :(<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>

<p>I can't believe, that she isn't with us anymore. It's very hard <br>
to deal with such a loss...</p>

<p>I'm grieving with all of you who've known her better than I.</p>

<p>And to speak with SHaron's words:<br>
&gt;I'd love to honour her life in a memorial of some sort, and <br>
would willingly<br>
&gt;contribute in any way which might be suitable.</p>

<p>Huge hugs from a very sad <br>
Mona<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: [VP] Goodbye, Nancy....<br>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:43:09 -0500<br>
From: moonshine71<br>
Dear Venice Place, </p>

<p>Please find below a missive I wrote for NancyT23's other slash <br>
list....&nbsp; I am incapable of writing this again and saw no real <br>
need to change it.&nbsp; While Nancy only wrote in Miami Vice fandom, <br>
she was a devoted fan of many shows.&nbsp; She bought fanzines, wrote&nbsp; <br>
LOCs, and attended and chaired fan panels in Starsky &amp; Hutch, <br>
Quantum Leap (she loved Dean Stockwell!), La Femme Nikita, Buffy <br>
the Vampire Slayer, Highlander and others. </p>

<p>Services for Nancy will be held in Chicago on Saturday morning <br>
from 10:00 to noon.&nbsp; I would like to think that all of you will <br>
take a moment in that two hour period to send a good thought <br>
winging in that direction.&nbsp; In attendance will be her husband and <br>
two young daughters as well as many of her friends and <br>
colleagues.</p>

<p>Nancy loved Miami Vice.&nbsp; She was a devoted fan from the very <br>
first episode.&nbsp; She even took her honeymoon in Miami because she <br>
had the good sense to marry another MV fan!&nbsp; :^)&nbsp; Besides being a <br>
dedicated fan writer, she was a funny, brilliant and vivacious <br>
person.&nbsp; Nancy graduated with highest honors from her college <br>
with a double major in political science and journalism, winning <br>
many awards in the process.&nbsp; She went on to law school and again <br>
graduated with great distinction.&nbsp; Post graduation, Nancy was <br>
recruited by one of Chicago's leading law firms where her <br>
brilliance and tenacity was remarked upon again and again.&nbsp; Nancy <br>
was not only involved in her &quot;real life&quot; community of chairing <br>
international committees, charity work, caring for her cats and <br>
the full time job of raising her children...she was a hell of a <br>
fan!&nbsp; For nearly two years we've ate, talked and slept Miami Vice <br>
fan fiction and have written almost 250,000 words together, of <br>
which less than half have been published.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Though Nancy was small in stature, she was--in every sense--&quot;the <br>
smallest giant ever.&quot;</p>

<p>The fannish project that has kept Nancy and I busy since <br>
Thanksgiving was our anthology &quot;Definitely Miami.&quot;&nbsp; Nancy's wish <br>
was to produce, in her own words, &quot;A kick-ass Miami Vice zine!&quot;&nbsp; <br>
And while I can't even pretend to fill her shoes, I know she <br>
would want all of her fiction to be shared with fandom.&nbsp; <br>
Definitely Miami, a slash anthology dedicated in Loving Memory to <br>
NancyT23, will be published.</p>

<p>Thank you all for reading this.&nbsp; It eases my broken heart to <br>
share some of my best memories of Nancy with caring fans.</p>

<p>Just two more things before I go:</p>

<p>I am collecting a memorial fund to be given to her children.&nbsp; <br>
Nancy came from a humble background and always advocated thrift <br>
and savings.&nbsp; There have been many times we would pop in an <br>
episode of Miami Vice and I would iron clothes while she *darned* <br>
socks. I plan to purchase EE Bonds which double in value as they <br>
mature.&nbsp; When I give the girls this token of our affection, I <br>
will tell them that every dollar represents someone who loved <br>
their mother.&nbsp; As the girls grow and mature, so will the bonds.&nbsp; <br>
I don't think the metaphor of love that keeps on growing will be <br>
lost on their hearts.</p>

<p>If you would like to make a donation, please contact Flamingo who <br>
will forward the information on to me.</p>

<p>In closing, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how Nancy and <br>
I came up with our pseudonym &quot;Emily Langston&quot; (we have others we <br>
used, but this was our first.)&nbsp; When we took those first toddling <br>
steps toward a collaborative writing process, we agreed that we <br>
wanted to share a strong, simple name.&nbsp; And if it could have <br>
literary allusions, all the better--we wanted to christen our <br>
efforts with a name that represented, to us, quality in endeavor.&nbsp; <br>
Both of us suggested the names of authors we admired and came up <br>
with Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes.&nbsp; In this way our new <br>
&quot;self&quot; was born.&nbsp; </p>

<p>I'm including two passages below, the first is one that Nancy <br>
herself might have selected by Dickinson, the second is my <br>
response as written by Hughes.&nbsp; </p>

<p>Pax, <br>
Kath-who is grateful for all of your kind condolences<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>

<p>The Soul selects her own Society--<br>
Then--shuts the Door--<br>
To her divine Majority--<br>
Present no more--</p>

<p>I loved my friend.<br>
He went away from me.<br>
There's nothing more to say.<br>
The poem ends,<br>
Soft as it began--<br>
I loved my friend.<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: Re: [VP] Missing Nancy<br>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 10:17:27 -0500 (EST)<br>
From: Atirakei</p>

<p>I only want to echo how shocked and saddened I am by Nancy's <br>
passing.&nbsp; I had the privilege of exchanging e-mail with her <br>
towards the end of last year and the beginning of this concerning <br>
some of my slash writings.</p>

<p>Her words were always supportive and encouraging, and I am sorry <br>
not to hear them again.</p>

<p>Laurie<br>
Atirakei@aol.com<br>
<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: Re: [VP] Goodbye, Nancy....<br>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 09:12:24 -0800<br>
From: slash4me</p>

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>In view of this sad occasion, I am sending a few lines from a <br>
poem I read years ago, and have seen in sympathy cards:</p>

<p>&quot;We cannot say, we will not say,<br>
That she is dead; she has gone away.<br>
With a cheery smile and a wave of her hand,<br>
She has traveled into a far off land.<br>
She leaves us wondering 'Oh, how fair it<br>
Must be!' since she lingers there.&quot;</p>

<p>Though I never met her, personally, please convey this, and my <br>
sincere condolences to her loving husband and daughters.&nbsp; Let <br>
them know that, at the appointed time, they will see her <br>
again...in a far better place; and that I, between 10am and Noon <br>
(8am and 10am here in California), my thoughts will be with them.</p>

<p>Jatona<br>
<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: [VP] Missing Nancy<br>
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 16:50:22 -0500 (EST)<br>
From: LCabrillo </p>

<p>While there's no way I can match the eloquence of others who have <br>
written, I wanted to share some of my own memories of NancyT23.</p>

<p>I first met Nancy at Zebra Con in '97.&nbsp; I remember how excited <br>
she was to have discovered the wonderful world of fandom.&nbsp; She <br>
fit in with our wacky group right away because of her enthusiasm, <br>
sense of humor and kind nature.</p>

<p>I got to know her better at the next SHarecon.&nbsp; She and Kath <br>
picked me up at BWI to drive me to the con.&nbsp; What a challenge it <br>
was to pack the three of us and all our belongings into a *small* <br>
car for the trip to Hunt Valley, MD.&nbsp; We not only had our own <br>
possessions and a box of zines, but supplies for Glo's birthday <br>
party -- which included two cakes and about a dozen helium-filled <br>
balloons.&nbsp; Imagine putting a three-dimensional puzzle together.&nbsp; <br>
Every piece had to go in exactly right for it to work!&nbsp; Because <br>
of her small size, Nancy got to sit in the back with the balloons <br>
and an ice chest, holding a cake on her lap.&nbsp; It's a long drive <br>
from BWI to Hunt Valley and poor Nancy ended up sitting in a <br>
significant wet spot caused by melting ice, as well as being <br>
batted in the face constantly by renegade balloons.&nbsp; There was a <br>
lot of hysterical laughter in the car that night!&nbsp; She had also <br>
assisted Kath in the creation of Glo's completely unique &quot;Grope <br>
Glo&quot; T-shirt -- definitely a one-of-a-kinder!&nbsp; At the con, Nancy <br>
was part of the game of Charades that gave birth to the infamous <br>
phrase, &quot;Swoon Henry and the Outhouse Boys.&quot;&nbsp; She loved fandom <br>
and was a delight to be around!</p>

<p>It's hard to believe that I'll never get to share in the glow of <br>
Nancy's dynamic personality again.&nbsp; I wish her well on her <br>
journey and feel grateful to have known her for the time I did.&nbsp; <br>
As many have said, she will be missed!</p>

<p>Linda<br>
<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: [VP] Missing Nancy<br>
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 09:02:42 -0500<br>
From: paladin</p>

<p>I've been trying for several days to find a way to express how <br>
wonderful Nancy was &amp; how much I am saddened by her death. I've <br>
given up trying to make this email as perfect as possible &amp; <br>
decided to just say what I can. </p>

<p>It's the same for me as everyone else who knew her. She was a <br>
delight: intelligent, caring, humorous, energetic, dedicated, <br>
generous, a devoted wife, mother &amp; friend to so many. </p>

<p>My heart is broken over this great loss &amp; broken even more so for <br>
the even greater loss this is for her family &amp; friends who knew <br>
her longer than I. There is a hole in our world now in the place <br>
Nancy used to occupy. It can't be filled but perhaps we can make <br>
it less deep with our memories of her. </p>

<p>&quot;Don't let it be forgot<br>
That once there was a spot<br>
For one brief, shining moment<br>
That was known as Camelot&quot;</p>

<p>I will miss you, Nancy.</p>

<p>Love,<br>
Paladin<br>
<br>
</p>

<p>Subject: [VP] Missing Nancy<br>
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 23:18:15 -0500 (EST)<br>
From: Glorug&nbsp; </p>

<p>I've been thinking so much about what I want to say about Nancy. <br>
It's hard to think clearly when you are still grieving a loss. <br>
But I didn't want to not say anything, so I'm going to try here <br>
to get my thoughts together. </p>

<p>I first met Nancy at ZebraCon. She and her husband sat at our <br>
table during the dinner thing and costume party. She was full of <br>
energy and enthusiasm. She was a new fan at her first con and <br>
looking at everything through her eyes brought back that sense of <br>
wonder that I felt at my first con. </p>

<p>I only got to spend three cons with Nancy and share some email. <br>
But through that brief contact I got to know this unique, smart, <br>
creative, enthusiastic individual who was always this ball of <br>
energy in constant motion.</p>

<p>She was full of questions. She was full of ideas. She was eager <br>
to participate in stuff. She dove into fandom with both feet and <br>
seemed determined to make up for lost time by immersing herself <br>
in this wondrous new world she discovered. She was awed by the <br>
writers whose works enthralled her and she always wanted to talk <br>
to them and pick their brain and bestow all kinds of accolades on <br>
them and words of support. </p>

<p>Nancy was fun. Full of jokes and good humor. She even *enjoyed* <br>
being coerced into a game of &quot;CrowRow&quot; charades. She fluttered <br>
about in enthusiasm while the rest of us rolled our eyes and <br>
groaned. </p>

<p>Nancy was open to new things. I remember her saying about a new <br>
fandom that others were into but she hadn't seen the draw in <br>
&quot;Okay, convince me. Give me something to read that will *show* me <br>
why I should want to be interested in this. Explain to me what <br>
you see that I don't.&quot; Nancy was opened rather than closed. She <br>
wanted to know all she could about anything and everything. </p>

<p>By her second con, Nancy was leading panels. She was just so <br>
eager to get involved that she didn't let her newness stand in <br>
her way. She plunged in. She was good too. She loved discussions <br>
and exchanging idea. She seemed to thrive on the energy generated <br>
through such an exchange. Whether she was leading the panel or <br>
just taking part in it, she was fully involved and participating <br>
and interested in what everyone had to say. She was one of those <br>
people who was an active listener. She would look right at you <br>
and you could see she was totally involved and taking in what you <br>
were saying, not just waiting patiently for her turn to talk. You <br>
*felt* listened to when you talked to Nancy. </p>

<p>Nancy had a big heart and a generous nature. Connexions was only <br>
my second meeting with Nancy, ZCON a few months prior being the <br>
first. And yet this woman who barely knew me threw all her energy <br>
and effort into putting together my surprise birthday party. <br>
LCabrillo already detailed some of that story so well. But I just <br>
wanted to reiterate what that meant to me. I am SO glad I wrote <br>
to both her and the list to acknowledge those wonderful things <br>
she did for me. I was so incredibly touched by this woman's care <br>
and generosity. Nancy and Moonshine *made* my shirt...the <br>
painted, hand-printed one-of-a-kind treasure that I will keep <br>
forever. It even has Nancy's handwriting on it from where she <br>
wrote her message to me. It made me cry to have someone go to <br>
that much trouble for me when they had only just met me. It was a <br>
feeling of warmth that I will carry with me forever. It's Nancy's <br>
legacy to me, to remind me how important it is to reach out and <br>
touch people; to use your energy to make someone smile or bring <br>
them a little piece of joy or some warmth in this cold world. </p>

<p>Life is so short. Sometimes life is so hard that we get bogged <br>
down in all of its demands and burdens and we forget to look up <br>
and to take time and expend some energy on things that seem so <br>
little, but are so very important. But what could be more <br>
important than to make someone smile? To brighten their day in <br>
some small way? To really *listen* to what they are saying? To <br>
offer words of praise and support and encouragement? To share a <br>
laugh? </p>

<p>Sometimes you don't even know the effects your small gesture will <br>
have on someone's life. I'm not sure if Nancy ever knew how much <br>
those little moments we shared or the things she did touched my <br>
life.&nbsp; I'm not sure I even noticed myself fully until now. But I <br>
do know I'll never forget again.</p>

<p>Nancy can not be brought back. Nancy can not be replaced. But <br>
Nancy can not be lost either. She lives on in all of those that <br>
she touched. We carry her inside of us and we can use that shaft <br>
of light she gave us to light others. By doing that, Nancy's <br>
energy and spirit will always live on. </p>

<p>Rest well, Nancy.<br>
I miss you.<br>
Gloria<br>
</p>
</body>
</html>
