Tom Ölander (17 August 1945 - 26 August 2002) was one of the main actors to kick-start an active fannish culture in Finland.1 He was the prime mover for the second Finnish sf convention King Con in 1989, with the assistance of a boat load of Swedish imports, and regularized the tradition of convention holding by working to institute the biannual Finncon tradition.2 For these efforts he is domestically known as the "father of Finnish Fandom",3 and internationally as "Finland's Mr. Science Fiction". In recognition of his significant role in the Finnish science fiction fandom, Ölander was a Guest of Honor of Finncon 1989.3
In addition to his local activities, he often worked behind the scenes and focused on building connections between geographically dispersed international fan communities.4
Together with Jari Koponen, Olavi Markkanen and Jyrki Ijäs, he formed the editorial board of the first Finnish nationwide science fiction magazine, Aikakone, started in 1981.5
References
References
- Jerrman, Toni. "It All Started with Tom Ölander", Worldcon 75 Souvenir Book. 2017. Page 54.
- Engholm, Ahrvid. Dödsfall / Utlandet, Dagens Nyheter. 2002-11-19. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- Finncon 2010: Finncons through the ages
- Peltonen, Leena. "Tom Ölander on poissa", Aikakone. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- Ashley, Mike. Science Fiction Rebels: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines from 1981 to 1990. Liverpool University Press, 2016. Page 261.