Written By Larry Baker and Keith Johnson

          The Seattle Westercon Organizing Committee (SWOC) was
     created on November 4, 1990 with the specific mission of
     bidding for and running Westercon 46.  The purpose of this
     project was twofold: 1) Test the fannish waters to see what
     support there might be for a Seattle Worldcon bid, and 2) To
     serve as a catalyst for encouraging cooperation among Puget
     Sound area fandom.

          Seattle, of course, did win and host Westercon 46
     (1992).  Not long after Westercon 46, it became obvious that
     SWOC had the desire, resources, and organizational
     experience to take on another significant project.  We
     decided that we really wanted to hold another Westercon -
     the expectation being that we could produce an even better
     one than we did before, and gain more experience that we
     could then apply toward our Worldcon hopes.

          In July 1995, SWOC was awarded the honor of hosting
     Westercon 50 by the fans attending Westercon 48, and we are
     currently in the planning stages of what promises to be a
     heckuva good convention.  SWOC remains committed to the
     ideals of openness and fairness that let us succeed in our
     earlier endeavors.

          In addition to Westercon 50, SWOC also has
     taken on sponsorship of the Seattle in 2002 Worldcon bid,
     currently known as Group of Friends.  We have also hosted
     two local convention planners conferences,  ConComCon's 2
     and 3.

          SWOC has also become one of the few Northwest fannish
     organizations to be granted 501(c)3 tax-exempt status by the
     Internal Revenue Service.  This means that SWOC now
     qualifies as a tax-deductable charity organization.

          What is the future for SWOC after Westercon 50?  Will
     we bid for another Westercon?  Will we focus solely on the
     2002 Worldcon bid?  Will we go off in a completely different
     direction?  That depends in large part on how well this
     Westercon goes and where we feel our expertise and
     experience can best be applied once that work is done.  The
     future holds many intriguing possibilities.  Stay tuned.