A mysterious disappointment over a Fortean figurehead.
Anton J Carlson, a long-time physiologist at the University of Chicago is well-known in scientific circles, his life well-documented. Most assuredly less known in standard biographies is his association with the Fortean Society—I have not seen a single reference—and still more mysterious is why Tiffany Thayer felt disappointed in his activities, especially given that Carlson was mostly a figurehead for the Society, a trophy, whose contributions seem to extend only to including the Society among those to whom he sent reprints of his articles. Oh, and paying dues, for a while.
First, though, before a quick overview of Carlson’s life, let’s clear up another bit of possible confusion. Thayer announced that Carlson had joined the Society in Doubt 20 (March 1948); in the course of that announcement, he mentioned that there were two other by that name connected to the Society, of which he only named one, the former Marine Evans Fordyce Carlson. Before this issue, as early as 1946, Thayer mentioned a member named Carlson, with no other identifying information. Later, almost—but not all—the clippings were attributed to a “D. Carlson.” It seems likely that neither Anton J. (“Ajax”) or Evans Fordyce contributed clippings to the Society. More on those other Carlsons in later entries.
Anton J Carlson, a long-time physiologist at the University of Chicago is well-known in scientific circles, his life well-documented. Most assuredly less known in standard biographies is his association with the Fortean Society—I have not seen a single reference—and still more mysterious is why Tiffany Thayer felt disappointed in his activities, especially given that Carlson was mostly a figurehead for the Society, a trophy, whose contributions seem to extend only to including the Society among those to whom he sent reprints of his articles. Oh, and paying dues, for a while.
First, though, before a quick overview of Carlson’s life, let’s clear up another bit of possible confusion. Thayer announced that Carlson had joined the Society in Doubt 20 (March 1948); in the course of that announcement, he mentioned that there were two other by that name connected to the Society, of which he only named one, the former Marine Evans Fordyce Carlson. Before this issue, as early as 1946, Thayer mentioned a member named Carlson, with no other identifying information. Later, almost—but not all—the clippings were attributed to a “D. Carlson.” It seems likely that neither Anton J. (“Ajax”) or Evans Fordyce contributed clippings to the Society. More on those other Carlsons in later entries.