Louis Russell "Russian" Chauvenet was a champion chess player and one of the founders of science fiction fandom.
Background
He became completely deaf in 1930 at age 10, after suffering cerebro-spinal meningitis. He attended Central Institute for the Deaf and Wright Oral School, before graduating from Belmont Hill Preparatory School. He went on to Harvard, Boston College and the University of Virginia, receiving a bachelor of science in biology in 1943 and a master of science in chemistry in 1948 from Virginia.
From 1943-1946 he was employed by the Calco Chemical Company in New Jersey.
Professionally, Chauvenet worked with computers as a civilian employee of the United States. Department of Defense from 1948 until his retirement.
His wife, Jane, was a teacher. Their son, Allen, is a pediatric oncologist.
In 1963, son and father respectively won the Maryland junior chess championship and the state title.
Education
Boston University; Harvard University. University of Virginia.
Career
Chess He also wrote columns for Chess Life. Chauvenet reached the level of Expert, a rating better than nine out of 10 chess players involved in tournament play. In 1992, at Edinburgh, Scotland, the International Committee of Silent Chess awarded him its Grandmaster title.
Chauvenet represented the United States of America at the World Individuals four times: Amsterdam in 1980, Washington, District of Columbia in 1983 and Rochester in 1987.
He was awarded the FIDE International Master title. Fandom He later coined prozine, a term for professionally published magazines containing science fiction stories.
Other avocations Chauvenet was also an enthusiastic sailor, who built his own Windmill class sailboat and participated in regattas, as well as a medal-winning runner. Early and family life.
Membership
He also co-founded the National Fantasy Fan Federation, with Damon Knight and Art Widner, and was a member of First Fandom. He coined the word fanzine in the October 1940 issue of his fanzine Detours and was for many years a member of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association (Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations ). He served as editor of the Windmill Class Association newsletter in addition to other positions and is one of 5 individuals names as honorary members of the class.