I grew up in Lake Geneva, WI, from 4th grade.
The first time I ever heard of Gary Gygax was from my Uncle Lance, the water or electric meter reader in Lake Geneva. The meter at the Gygax home required entering the basement of the dwelling, and that's where Uncle Lance saw several bearded communists gathered around a large table plotting the revolution.
It was barely the 70s, if that, and the Cold War was still in full swing.
It wasn't until a later reading that he figured out these ardent Bolsheviks were actually grown men playing with miniature soldiers. However, by that time, the rumor about communists had spread to many of the townspeople, painting Gary in a strange light even prior to D&D.
The second time I ever heard of Gary was when, still working as a cobbler to make ends meet, he confiscated my mother's 32-eyelet boots for non-payment, which probably lasted 2-3 days before she paid and he returned them to her.
Gary Was a Consummate Gentleman:
Years later, while sitting in Gary's office, I mentioned his first run-in with my mother, which I found merely amusing; however, Gary was so immediately and earnestly apologetic that I regretted mentioning it. But, yes, he did remember meeting her. We were discussing having my mother do the art for The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, and it was the only occasion I knew of when they had met. But much more about that later.
Once articles detailing its construction are added to this rough timeline, you can filter all mentions of Tharizdun, Gygax, whatnot, using the labels on the right.
The second time I ever heard of Gary was when, still working as a cobbler to make ends meet, he confiscated my mother's 32-eyelet boots for non-payment, which probably lasted 2-3 days before she paid and he returned them to her.
Gary Was a Consummate Gentleman:
Years later, while sitting in Gary's office, I mentioned his first run-in with my mother, which I found merely amusing; however, Gary was so immediately and earnestly apologetic that I regretted mentioning it. But, yes, he did remember meeting her. We were discussing having my mother do the art for The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, and it was the only occasion I knew of when they had met. But much more about that later.
Once articles detailing its construction are added to this rough timeline, you can filter all mentions of Tharizdun, Gygax, whatnot, using the labels on the right.
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