[vcf-midatlantic] Gerry Lawson's 82nd birthday - Today's Google Doodle

[Jeffrey Brace]

Today's Google Doodle is about Gerry Lawson who helped design the Fairchild
F and on the team that pioneered the video game cartridge. Gerry has been
deceased for 11 years. He is one of the few African Americans who have been
inventors in the early vintage computer and vintage video game industries.

Related to this: I have been presented an opportunity to have another
African American with similar experience come talk at VCF East: Ed Smith.
Ed Smith started out working for APF Electronics, Inc. which released The
Imagination Machine, a hybrid video game.

Would any of you be interested in hearing his story?

So here's the catch. Ed Smith wants a speaker fee of $5000 and travel
expenses. As far as I know the Vintage Computer Festival has never paid a
speaker fee. We honestly can't afford such a large fee. It is beyond our
budget. We have paid travel expenses for a select few speakers who can't
afford it and/or are very important speakers. I'm contemplating doing a
fundraiser for this. Just a straw poll. How many would donate towards this?

I would love to hear his story.

Thanks for your input!

=========================================
Jeff Brace
VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President
Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner
Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity
https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/>
jeffrey at vcfed.org