In memory of Bart Bush and OAFCON’s future. 1 1

[Cat-Man_America]

I’ve just learned that Bart Bush, a founding member of the Oklahoma Alliance Of Fans and driving force behind the annual OAF-con has passed away unexpectedly.

Bart was one of the core group of fans who founded the Oklahoma based comic collector’s club in 1967.  He edited the OAFzine and helped run several major conventions during the early days of Oklahoma comic fandom. Bart also owned and operated the comic shop Down Memory Lane for many years and was a passionate collector of D*ck Tracy memorabilia.  

He was looking forward to continuing the OAF-con as a post-Covid event next year.  I’ve been told that there are ongoing efforts behind the scenes to still make this happen.  More news as available.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Cat-Man_America

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

I hate to hear this

[Cat-Man_America]

If my aging cognitive abilities aren't misfiring Bart co-owned Down Memory Lane for a time with another original OAF member, collector/dealer Don Maris, who resides in the Metroplex.  

Here's a photo of Bart from the Wayback Machine...

[fett]

Sad news to hear about such a great guy. I first met Bart when I was in college at OU in the mid-1980s. He was running a comic shop called Metropolis Comics on Hal Muldrow Drive in Norman, and he was always so friendly that I followed him over to Planet Comics when the two shops merged a little later, he had my weekly subscriptions the years I was in college. He was a very playful teaser about me so passionately searching for early issues of Cerebus, but I never could get him to come down off his prices on the ones below #10. (I finally ponied up 50 buicks for his #8)  Thanks for all the memories buddy you will be missed. 

[Cat-Man_America]

11 hours ago, fett said:

Sad news to hear about such a great guy. I first met Bart when I was in college at OU in the mid-1980s. He was running a comic shop called Metropolis Comics on Hal Muldrow Drive in Norman, and he was always so friendly that I followed him over to Planet Comics when the two shops merged a little later, he had my weekly subscriptions the years I was in college. He was a very playful teaser about me so passionately searching for early issues of Cerebus, but I never could get him to come down off his prices on the ones below #10. (I finally ponied up 50 buicks for his #8)  Thanks for all the memories buddy you will be missed. 

Thanks for sharing these memories! I do recall Bart having bookstores under other names later on, one located on East Main in Norman, some distance from the OU campus.  His comic shop was in a strip mall right next door to a used book store run by another friend, Kathy Ball, back in the mid-90’s.  Every time we were in Norman we'd stop by to visit, shopping at both book stores 'till our trunk runneth over.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Cat-Man_America

[telerites]

I posted this in the OAFCON event thread:

Oh wow.  I am devastated.  I have known Bart since the early 80s.  I would go to his store while in college at OU in Norman.  Really such a welcoming and nice man.  I bought my Cat-Man 13 MH from him back then.  He had the whole run of MH Cat-Mans, iirc.  Every time I would see him, including last year, he would joke with me about buying it back.

RIP, my friend.  Thanks for giving me an escape from the toils of college.

[telerites]

5 hours ago, fett said:

Sad news to hear about such a great guy. I first met Bart when I was in college at OU in the mid-1980s. He was running a comic shop called Metropolis Comics on Hal Muldrow Drive in Norman, and he was always so friendly that I followed him over to Planet Comics when the two shops merged a little later, he had my weekly subscriptions the years I was in college. He was a very playful teaser about me so passionately searching for early issues of Cerebus, but I never could get him to come down off his prices on the ones below #10. (I finally ponied up 50 buicks for his #8)  Thanks for all the memories buddy you will be missed. 

I just saw this after my post above.  I was at OU at around the same time.  I was at his store on Hal Muldrow quite a bit.  I bought the MH Cat-Man from him.  Do you remember him having the run of MH Cat-Mans?  

Small world, we may have been in the shop at the same time.

He was always a lot of fun and so good-natured.

 

[Scrooge]

32 minutes ago, telerites said:

I was at OU at around the same time.

Sadly, by the time my days at OU came around, another store got my business. So, though I heard of Bart, the random times I went to Planet Comics (across from the high-school), employees ran the counter and I missed my chance to know him. Very sorry for your loss. 

[iggykoopa]

Sad news. RIP Bart.

[telerites]

56 minutes ago, Scrooge said:

Sadly, by the time my days at OU came around, another store got my business. So, though I heard of Bart, the random times I went to Planet Comics (across from the high-school), employees ran the counter and I missed my chance to know him. Very sorry for your loss. 

Hi Michael

You had mentioned you were at OU to me.  I think you are a younger but I visited his the Main Street store a few times when I was Norman after I graduated.  I rarely if ever saw Bart there, iirc. 

Take care.

[fett]

hey guys wasn't Planet Comics in Norman originally over at Campus Corner or thereabouts? If not Planet what was the name of the store? Too many years ago.  

[Badger]

23 hours ago, Cat-Man_America said:

I’ve just learned that Bart Bush, a founding member of the Oklahoma Alliance Of Fans and driving force behind the annual OAF-con has passed away unexpectedly.

Bart was one of the core group of fans who founded the Oklahoma based comic collector’s club in 1967.  He edited the OAFzine and helped run several major conventions during the early days of Oklahoma comic fandom. Bart also owned and operated the comic shop Down Memory Lane for many years and was a passionate collector of D*ck Tracy memorabilia.  

He was looking forward to continuing the OAF-con as a post-Covid event next year.  I’ve been told that there are ongoing efforts behind the scenes to still make this happen.  More news as available.

Oh, man! That is horrible news. I spoke with him last year at Oafcon not knowing it would be the last time. Here's hoping Oafcon continues in his memory!

[telerites]

1 hour ago, fett said:

hey guys wasn't Planet Comics in Norman originally over at Campus Corner or thereabouts? If not Planet what was the name of the store? Too many years ago.  

I'm pretty sure Plant was on Main Street before you got to the High School.  On the opposite side in a strip mall.  I don't remember a store around campus corner but like you, it was in the 80s so a long time ago.  

Speeding Bullets which I believe is still around is on Porter.  

 

[Cat-Man_America]

1 hour ago, fett said:

hey guys wasn't Planet Comics in Norman originally over at Campus Corner or thereabouts? If not Planet what was the name of the store? Too many years ago.  

The owner of the bookstore on Campus Corner was a big SF fan by the name of Mike Madden.  He also attended quite a few conventions, mostly on the science fiction side, like Worldcons.   The SF community at OU was pretty strong and probably still is.  Like Mike, I regularly attended OU’s science fiction club meetings (NOSFA) and produced art and writings for their APA.

[Mmehdy]

RIP

[telerites]

13 hours ago, Cat-Man_America said:

The owner of the bookstore on Campus Corner was a big SF fan by the name of Mike Madden.  He also attended quite a few conventions, mostly on the science fiction side, like Worldcons.   The SF community at OU was pretty strong and probably still is.  Like Mike, I regularly attended OU’s science fiction club meetings (NOSFA) and produced art and writings for their APA.

How did I not about this store?  I guess I spent too much time at O'Connell's (caddy corner) to one end of Campus Corner.  Green beer on St. Patty's Day.  

[Cat-Man_America]

5 hours ago, telerites said:

How did I not about this store?  I guess I spent too much time at O'Connell's (caddy corner) to one end of Campus Corner.  Green beer on St. Patty's Day.  

Well, Campus Corner is a deceptive term in that it is or was much larger than a "corner" from my perspective.  In reality, Campus Corner was several blocks of businesses just outside the main entrance gates to the University.   In a university town folks tend to gather most often at restaurants and businesses where their friends hung out.  Sometimes patrons of one business never interact with folks from another.  It's a bit cliquish, but that's the way it has always been.  For instance, there was one big restaurant across the street where lot's of folks had breakfast and lunch (I dined there often), but another restaurant (O'Connell's?) was just down the block that was also just as busy with a totally different menu.  My recollection may be off here, because I remember having brunch at the latter restaurant with friends on Sundays occasionally as they served great omelettes and Mimosas (champagne & orange juice).

Comics and SF fandoms have always had intersecting interests even when it seemed weirdly competitive.  In central Oklahoma the two main fan based conventions are OAFcon and Soonercon.  Here are photos of Mike Madden and Bart Bush from a NOSFA (Norman Oklahoma Science Fiction Association) reunion party held at the OAFcon in the Embassy Suites back in 2014...

Edited September 5, 2020 by Cat-Man_America

[telerites]

34 minutes ago, Cat-Man_America said:

Well, Campus Corner is a deceptive term in that it is or was much larger than a "corner" from my perspective.  In reality, Campus Corner was several blocks of businesses just outside the main entrance gates to the University.

Oh I know Cat.  I spent lots of time in those shops while going to OU.  I just cannot remember a comic shop there in the early/mid 80s.  I am really surprised.  We would walk those streets quite a bit.

Do you remember Harold's Clothing - their once a year sales were incredible.  Sadly, they went out of business.

[Cat-Man_America]

18 minutes ago, telerites said:

Oh I know Cat.  I spent lots of time in those shops while going to OU.  I just cannot remember a comic shop there in the early/mid 80s.  I am really surprised.  We would walk those streets quite a bit.

Do you remember Harold's Clothing - their once a year sales were incredible.  Sadly, they went out of business.

Mike’s bookstore served both the book and comic community.  Bart’s comic shop was on East Main, some distance from Campus Corner.  The date of that store’s opening, it’s changing names and when Bart became sole proprietor are gray areas.  Down Memory Lane dates back to the early/mid seventies and was originally owned by Don Maris.  At some point I believe there was a business partnership between Don and Bart.  

Eventually, Don moved to Dallas and ...again, based on my best recollection... ownership was transferred to Bart.  At that point, Bart might’ve changed the name of the shop to Planet or Metropolis Comics, but I’m less clear on the time frame of any changes.  I visited his East Main shop numerous times in the 80’s until moving to Texas in the early 90’s.  After that, my crystal ball gets hazier.

I don’t remember buying any clothing from Harold’s, but I did buy “boots” from the Sound Warehouse.across the street from campus in the early 70’s.  

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

Sorry to hear this; I was hoping to get to OAFCon one day as it looked like a great old school comic con. Hopefully it will continue.