Dick Smith (more formally, Richard H.E. Smith II) is a Chicago, Illinois-based software engineer, computer consultant[1] and a science fiction fanzine publisher.
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As a science fiction fan, Smith, with his wife, Leah Zeldes Smith, was 1993 winner of the Down Under Fan Fund[2] and delegate to Swancon 18, the Australian National Science Fiction Convention in Perth, Australia,[3] as well as to fan centers throughout the country. He has been selected as fan guest of honor by numerous science fiction conventions, including Windycon (1995),[4] ArmadilloCon (1995), First Contact (1998), ConQuesT (2000), Whatcon (1985) and Corflu (1991),[5] and has been a toastmaster at such conventions as ConFusion[6] and a frequent speaker and panelist on subjects related to fandom, fan publishing, science fiction and technology.
The Smiths' fanzine STET was a three-time Hugo Award nominee.[7] In the 1980s, Smith published the Hogu Award-winning title, Uncle Dick's Little Thing.[5] He was extensively active in numerous amateur press associations during the 1970s and '80s, including the Fantasy Amateur Press Association and The Cult.[5] He co-founded Windyapa.[8] He was a recipient of the Peter J. Vorzimer Award.[5]
Smith and his wife organized ditto, a fanzine convention, in 1990 and 2001,[9] and have worked on many Worldcons and other science fiction conventions.[5][8] They were the U.S. agents who spearheaded bidding efforts for Aussiecon Three,[8] and he was appointed Ausssiecon's representative to the World Science Fiction Society's Mark Protection Committee.[10] Smith is a member of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society,[11] the Cincinnati Fantasy Group[12] and General Technics.[1]
Smith is known within fandom for his interest in and collection of antique printing techniques and devices, such as hectographs, letterpresses, spirit duplicators, mimeographs and obsolete computers.[8]
Smith is founder and president of Dick Smith Software, a comprehensive computer consulting firm in the Chicago area.[13] Prior to that, he developed software for such companies as Northrop Grumman, U.S. Robotics and 3Com.[1]
In his professional work, Smith contributes to science fiction, serving as a consultant to such authors as Frederik Pohl[14] and Mike Resnick.[15] He is an expert on legacy systems.
Smith was one of the inventors of a "Method and protocol for connecting data calls using R2 signaling" granted U.S. Patent 6,233,237 in 2001.[16] He contributed to the textbook LAN Times Guide to Telephony (Osborne/McGraw-Hill).[17]
Smith was born in Milwaukee and reared in West Bend, Wisconsin, the eldest son of Richard H.E. Smith and Marilyn R.J. Smith. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin.[1]
He has been married to Leah Zeldes Smith since 1985; an incident at their wedding inspired Mike Resnick's novel The Dark Lady.[18]