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RIP Mark Merlino
2 years ago
General
As of now, the furry fandom has lost one of its key founding fathers.
This morning I heard the news that Mark Merlino, who, along with his partner Rod O'Riley, were having "furry parties" at science fiction coonventions like Baycon back in the 80s. These parties were places were places where like-minded fans could exchange anthropomorphic (or if you prefer "furry") animal art, music and short stories and watch furry themed videos (like Animalympics). These parties grew so large that O'Riley and Merlino decided to break off and form their own furry related convention called Confurence. The first one, Confurence 0, was held in 1989 and the rest was history.
Confurence had some problems with attendance and was forced to dissolve in 2003 but by then there were a whole plethoria of furry themed conventions around: Anthrocon, Midwest Fur Fest, Anthrohio, etc and all feature like minded "furries" coming together to celebrate their love of anthropomorphics through art, music, short stories and novels and skits just like they did in the days of those "furry parties" but of course these days on a larger scale.
In the mid 2000s Merlino and O'Riley would get together at Further Confusion and host panels where they'd give first hand (or perhaps "paw") accounts of the early days of the fandom. I attended some of those panels and it was absolutely fascinating to hear them speak like the voices of history they were.
Recently Merlino suffered some setbacks in the form of strokes. These were followed by a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. He seemed to know his time on this earth was drawing to a close because he chose to undergo pallative care rather than additional treatment for his ailments. It is in this care that he died peacefully in his slseep last night.
With him gone, all I can say is: RIP Mark Merlino and thank you for providing a place where like minded "furry fans" can gather pursue their unique interests free and clear of outside scrutiny or scorn. Rest in power, my brother!
This morning I heard the news that Mark Merlino, who, along with his partner Rod O'Riley, were having "furry parties" at science fiction coonventions like Baycon back in the 80s. These parties were places were places where like-minded fans could exchange anthropomorphic (or if you prefer "furry") animal art, music and short stories and watch furry themed videos (like Animalympics). These parties grew so large that O'Riley and Merlino decided to break off and form their own furry related convention called Confurence. The first one, Confurence 0, was held in 1989 and the rest was history.
Confurence had some problems with attendance and was forced to dissolve in 2003 but by then there were a whole plethoria of furry themed conventions around: Anthrocon, Midwest Fur Fest, Anthrohio, etc and all feature like minded "furries" coming together to celebrate their love of anthropomorphics through art, music, short stories and novels and skits just like they did in the days of those "furry parties" but of course these days on a larger scale.
In the mid 2000s Merlino and O'Riley would get together at Further Confusion and host panels where they'd give first hand (or perhaps "paw") accounts of the early days of the fandom. I attended some of those panels and it was absolutely fascinating to hear them speak like the voices of history they were.
Recently Merlino suffered some setbacks in the form of strokes. These were followed by a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. He seemed to know his time on this earth was drawing to a close because he chose to undergo pallative care rather than additional treatment for his ailments. It is in this care that he died peacefully in his slseep last night.
With him gone, all I can say is: RIP Mark Merlino and thank you for providing a place where like minded "furry fans" can gather pursue their unique interests free and clear of outside scrutiny or scorn. Rest in power, my brother!
