Gygax Memorial Fund at the OSRG booth at Gen Con

We're glad to announce that the Gygax Memorial Fund will be at the OSRG booth (#1541) at Gen Con 2011! I like to think it's a perfect fellowship and hope that the Fund's presence at Gen Con will help them reach their goals. Below is a message from the Fund to everyone who loves the game.
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Fellow beneficiaries of Gary Gygax's inspiration and legacy,

On Gary's birthday this July 27th, I'd like your help publicizing the Gygax Memorial Fund and its goal of building a monument in his honor.

The Fund has achieved its initial goals to incorporate as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and petition Gary's hometown of Lake Geneva, WI to grant parkland for the memorial - the first time the town council has ever approved plans to construct a statue of one of its residents. Although three years have gone by since Gary's passing, his memory is still very much alive. Recent news coverage of the Fund's successes to date, including a story in Slashdot, resulted in hundreds of thousands of unique visitors to http://www.gygaxmemorialfund.com/. 

The Gygax Memorial Fund's next step will be to exhibit at Gen Con, the convention Gary began, this August 4th-7th. At the Old School Renaissance Group booth (#1541), Gail Gygax will be talking about conversations she had with her husband before his death about how he wanted to be remembered, the resulting vision for the statue, and the goals of the Memorial Fund. Gail will also be presenting the ENnie Awards on Friday night.

At the booth, we'll be taking contributions and offering donor rewards including T-shirts with the Gygax Memorial logo -  Argent, a Bar Azure, Three Lozenges Gules  - and a book called "Cheers, Gary" which selects the best of his correspondence with fans at the EN World Q&A threads. Editor Paul Hughes will also be at the booth with Gail signing copies of "Cheers, Gary" and discussing plans for another volume based on the Dragonsfoot Q&A.

If that goes well, we'll be poised to launch a Kickstarter effort in support of the Lake Geneva statue. As someone who raises money for a non-profit hospital as my day job and is doing a successful OSR Kickstarter in my spare time, I think there is real potential for the Fund to achieve the $500K goal for this campaign through crowdfunding alone. This would be the most ambitious Kickstarter goal in history, but it's not unprecedented and if Gary doesn't have ten times the dedication that Robocop does I'll eat my dice bag.

To help continue the Fund's momentum, and in recognition of everything Gary meant to us, I'm asking for your assistance in getting the word out about our efforts. Many of you will already be marking the occasion of Gary's birthday by posting to your blogs, social networks, and communities. Adding a mention of the Fund's booth number, #1541, or website, http://www.gygaxmemorialfund.com/, would mean a lot to us. 

If you'd like to do more in-depth coverage, I've attached the Memorial Fund logo; the introduction to "Cheers, Gary" which contains more information about the project; and the Erol Otus illustration which will be used for the book's cover. (Both this and the EN World posts are re-used with permission). I will also be glad to answer questions, provide links, and arrange interviews with Gail, Paul, and myself either at Gen Con, via email, or on the phone/Skype. I'll also be glad to talk about opportunities to make tax-deductible contributions of goods and services to the Fund, and explore ways to do cross-promotion with others who are building on Gary's pioneering work. 

Sincerely yours, by the Ring of Gaxx and the City-State of Fax,

Tavis Allison