I first saw Gene in late 1995 in a little two-page article in the January 1996 issue of Barbie Bazaar and was instantly smitten. The sculpt was so beautiful and I loved the connection to old Hollywood. I think my wife thought I was a little nuts when I said I wanted to fly from San Francisco to Newark for the first Gene convention. I set about commissioning someone to make a dress inspired by The Lady Eve for the costume competition (I can't sew). I had Red Venus's hair restyled to be more emblematic of the 40's (I can't do hair either).
What an amazing convention that was. I was so excited to meet Stephen L whose Gene-Zine I eagerly awaited. (Remember those early days when you ran home to check the AOL Gene board to see the few new posts, hopefully with info about a new Gene?) I was over the moon when Mel told me he voted for my entry and then my Gene won! I still have the doll (sadly with a very badly stained body from the green velvet used for the dress) and the cape and crown she won.
Years later, after the Gray Lady Gene came out I decided I wanted to compete in the human costume competition and went about making myself into a version of the Gray Lady. My dress, my make-up, my wig were all shades of black/white/gray. I even wore black contact lenses! But because the contact lenses weren't prescription I couldn't see very well and because the inside of my mouth wasn't the right color I didn't speak. My wife led me around and answered questions that were posed to me. At one point she realized she could say whatever she wanted and I wouldn't open my mouth to contradict her. I think that was the most fun she had at a Gene convention. Franklin Lim Liao and I won the costume competition.
In 1997, Ward Keegan and I founded the first Gene club in San Francisco. This is where I met some wonderful people -- some of whom are on Studio Commissary (Jim S and Vera). Our first meeting was in January but soon the club had exploded to a membership list of about 150!
As much as I love Gene, the best thing she did for me was lead me to making some dear friends. A few of us have been having lunch together every week or two for decades, even though now that most of us are retired or live in different states from each other, it's over Zoom.
Gene has been a gateway to so many wonderful experiences and people. Thank you, Mel, and thank you to everyone I've shared Gene with over the years.