The following members have been nominated to run for THS Board of Directors. All three are currently sitting on the BOD, one in an elected position and the other in board vacancy appointed positions. This year we will again be using a web-based voting system. The polls will open on 13 August 2015 and close on 29 August 2015. Instructions and a url link will be sent to all members eligible to vote before the poll opens.
Keith Kato
Keith Kato
Keith G. Kato was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1950. He attended UCLA and the University of California, Irvine, obtaining his Ph.D. in plasma physics at the latter under the direction of SF author Gregory Benford. From 1983-2014 Keith worked for an applied physics R&D group, but since retiring is now teaching and private consulting. He has eight patents, and has given numerous papers at scientific conferences. Keith has also been a martial artist since 1965, and holds the 4th degree black belt in Sh?t?kan karate-d?. He is a patron of the arts, and in any given year sees 40-50 musicals, plays, concerts, and operas. Keith began attending SF conventions in 1972, and since 1974 has been hosting his famous “Keith Kato Chili Party” at major SF conventions around the world. He is a Charter Member of The Heinlein Society, was elected to THS’s Board of Directors in 2009, and re-elected in 2012. From 2010-2014 he served as Vice President-Secretary, and in 2014 was selected by the Board of Directors as THS’s fourth President. Keith was also a “Cell C” mid-level manager and worker bee at the 2007 Heinlein Centennial in Kansas City. He was fortunate to meet Robert and Ginny Heinlein three times. Keith lives in Alta Loma, California, aka “Cucamonga” for all you Jack Benny fans.
Betsey Wilcox
Betsey Wilcox
Elizabeth “Betsey” Wilcox began reading science fiction in 4th grade, when she rebelled against the age and gender appropriate books her teachers thought she should read. Turned loose to make her own choices, she started with Robert A. Heinlein’s juvenile novels and quickly moved on to his other writings. Over the years, she has corresponded with Mrs. Heinlein, and to her surprise, two of her letters have been found in the Heinlein Archives. Betsey retired from the United States Air Force as a Nurse Corps Officer with 25 years of active service, 18 in education and training. She considered joining THS several times but was detoured for various reasons. Finally, in early 2013, she hit the Pay Pal button and was immediately drafted to help the Society at the Lone Star 3 Worldcon. Since then, she has been active on several committees and instrumental in advancing the Society’s ability to do business with electronic voting and “virtual” meetings. Most recently, she spearheaded THS “Name the Exo-planets” nomination process and will be behind the get out the vote when public voting opens. After filling the Board of Directors seat vacated by Deb Houdek Rule for almost a year, she hopes to continue to advance the Society’s profile and visibility over the next three years.
Herb Gilliland
Dr. C. Herbert Gilliland
Dr. C. Herb Gilliland is a Professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he taught the first college course ever completely focused on Robert A. Heinlein, and teaches various science fiction courses from time to time. A retired Naval Reserve captain, he has published many books and articles on topics including naval history and literature of the navy and the sea, as well as articles and papers on Robert Heinlein. However, his first piece ever printed in a commercial venue was a letter to the editor published by John Campbell in Astounding. He is a founding member of the board of the Heinlein Award given annually at Balticon to authors whose works inspire human exploration of space.
