Mildred Manhill

From Fanlore
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Fan
Name: Mildred Manhill
Alias(es): Liz H and Jo Savage
Type:
Fandoms: Star Trek: TOS
Communities:
Other:
URL:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Mildred Manhill was a pseud for two writers, Liz H and Jo Savage.

In 1995, a fan wrote: "I look forward to more from the MM team." [1]

Awards

Jo Savage

Jo Savage wrote by herself with the name "Jo'An."

Zine Contributions

Sample Stories

  • The Lodger (from an unknown issue of KiScon)
  • Birthright ("Kirk and Spock decide to have a child by genetic engineering when they are assigned to Vulcan after the second 5 year mission." ) (1993)
  • Hitched ("McCoy asks Kirk to officiate at his wedding to another man and when Kirk finds out the other man is Vulcan, it gives him hope for a future with Spock.") (1993)
  • The Contest (A/U: "After having to leave the academy due to lack of funds, Kirk becomes an exotic dancer and meets a certain Vulcan when both enter a dancing contest.") (1993)
  • Just Desserts ("Kirk buys Spock some of the dessert he sees him eating on shore leave, unaware that it acts as an aphrodisiac on Vulcans.") (1994)
  • The Day After ("After their run-in with the Romulans, Kirk goes to Spockʼs cabin to ascertain the Vulcanʼs mood over Stileʼs prejudice.) (1994)
  • Trinary (a Spock/Kirk/McCoy story) (1994)
  • The Day After ("After their run-in with the Romulans, Kirk goes to Spockʼs cabin to ascertain the Vulcanʼs mood over Stileʼs prejudice.") (1994)
  • Teeny Weeny ("Kirk tries to convince Spock to wear special swimwear.") (1994)
  • The Auction ("Spock and Kirk go to an art auction where a bored Kirk starts daydreaming about himself as his bondmateʼs sex slave in pre-reform Vulcan.") (1995)
  • Kiss My Vulcan... ("Spock is unwilling to tell Kirk that he is entering pon farr, despite McCoyʼs threat to do so if he doesnʼt.") (1995)
  • One Day ("Noticing Kirkʼs recent weight loss, McCoy makes him keep a daily journal, giving Kirk a perfect vehicle for telling McCoy about his recent bonding with Spock.") (1995)
  • The Auction (Star Trek: TOS story) ("Spock and Kirk go to an art auction where a bored Kirk starts daydreaming about himself as his bondmateʼs sex slave in prereform Vulcan.") (1995)
  • Sticky Situation ("Spock begins to have the same odd reaction after every time he and Kirk make love.") (1999)
  • The Green Machine ("While on their honeymoon, Kirk and Spock have currency problems.") (2001)

In Memory

Savage passed away January 5, 2004.

I've known Jo one way or another from the time I first got into K/S fandom. Very early on, about twelve years ago or so, I wrote into the then-existing K/S letterzine, The LOC Connection, asking if anybody knew anything about K/S filks. I had heard the group Omicron Ceti III sing general Star Trek songs and a few K & S friendship songs in the 70s at the New York cons, and now that I had finally made the leap into K/S, I was curious as to whether anyone was singing about Kirk and Spock's love.

Well, in the way of the fannish world, a total stranger answered me. Not only did Jo write and tell me about some K/S filks, she made several tapes and sent them to me to listen to. I will never forget the day I received them; I was flabbergasted at her kindness and the effort she'd put into sorting through her various recordings to find the ones I was interested in. And then I was flabbergasted again when I listened to two men singing about their love for one another in Ni Var, one of the songs Jo recommended.

I can honestly say that Jo's kindness changed my life, for the better. I had never considered singing or writing songs before, but the wealth of material that she poured into my lap inspired me so that I couldn't sit still. The enjoyment that I've received from the world of K/S filking can't be adequately described, but I got my push from Jo. And she was always so encouraging about my fledgling efforts, too.

About the mid-nineties, I got it into my head that I must have every K/S piece of fiction that had ever been printed in English. The curse of the completist! Carol D. shared my enthusiasm, and she and I contacted Jo, since we knew she had quite a collection. For a few months the three of us diligently copied for each other, filling in our gaps, but Jo sent us much more than we sent her. She never minded, didn't begrudge our neediness, but helped feed our addiction while reveling in her own.

Along about the early 90s, Jo also started worked on her K/S zine database. I still have it today and find it very useful. She went through her zines and catalogued not only every zine, but every story, every author, the editor, the date of publication. Then she did it again by author name, and finally a third time by title of story. And...she wasn't using a computer, folks, she was using a word processor. Eventually she managed to get the databases transferred to a usable file for a computer, and it's those files that have formed the basis for what I put up on my website as well as the answer to many a zine question posed over the years to me. Jo was one dedicated K/Ser. Those databases are real monumental works of love.

Jo really loved K/S, and it came straight from her forthright heart. She also had a real fondness for McCoy, as you will discover if you read any of Mildred Manhill's stories, for the crusty doctor plays a prominent role in much of their fiction. And Jo participated as much as she could; there are stories by either Jo'An or Mildred Manhill in both of the KiScon Contest zines. When finances and health prevented her from traveling to Shore Leave, I think it was with real regret that she missed those cons.

A word about her friend, Liz. Liz was a faithful friend and companion to Jo, and enabled her to travel when she did. Without Liz, Jo would not have managed very well. I do send my most sincere condolences to Liz, as I know she will miss Jo terribly.[2]

I have many fond memories of Jo — she and Liz were always a welcome and wonderful part of our K/S group at Shore Leave.

It was a number of years ago at Shore Leave that I met Jo. She was articulate (especially about K/S!) and very personable. She bought a number of pieces of my art way back then—something I will never forget because she was so enthusiastic and supportive of my art which helped a very insecure new K/S artist! In fact, back in 1995, at Shore Leave, Jo bought one of my favorite pieces ever — Kaleidoscope Kiss — which is the cover of Kaleidoscope 3.

And like Jenna, I was unimaginably impressed with her K/S zine database. It was an amazing amount of work and organizational skills in those early days pre-computers! [3]

Let me tell you a little about our friend. She was born in Flint, Michigan on 11/25/32. She was a reporter in the army and had one child. Her husband died twenty or so years ago and she was very proud of her four grandchildren. She joined our local Star Trek club, The Excalibur, about 1986. I’ve known her from the beginning, but only in passing until she attended October Trek with some club members and we crossed paths.

By then I was deep into K/S and she was the novice. We started to hang out together and our friendship grew and grew. We never had an argument (except over plotlines) and over her oxygen tank. When she first started using oxygen, she was stubborn — she wouldn’t wear it out, but gradually she overcame her reluctance and it became like her third arm.

Jo loved animals (especially Pixie her cat — one of our club members has adopted her), lighthouses, carousel horses, puzzles, ethnic foods, travel, Star Trek and K/S. She spoke fondly of all the friends she met at all the cons, especially the K/Sers.

Gone silent has the pen of Mildred Manhill (Jo was the Mildred part of the team) and Jo’an. My friend, my soul-sister, the other half of my heart, gone but never forgotten. So raise a glass of your favorite drink and salute a fallen friend.

But more than that, Jo was a unique woman who shared our passion for K/S and who will be sorely missed. [4]

References

  1. ^ from Come Together #19
  2. ^ Jenna, from The K/S Press #89 (February 2004)
  3. ^ Shelley, from The K/S Press #89 (February 2004)
  4. ^ Liz H., from The K/S Press #89 (February 2004)