Martin Grams: Kevin Flynn and his Impressive Autograph Collection

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Kevin Flynn and his Impressive Autograph Collection

My friend Kevin Flynn probably holds the record for being a member of volunteer staff for pop culture conventions and Comic Cons than anyone else. Most people might find this a surprise but at film festivals and fan gatherings, the staff is rarely paid. No matter how large the venue, anyone wearing a staff shirt is probably an unpaid volunteer. And for more than thirty years, Kevin devoted all of his vacation time from work to volunteer at numerous events including Fanex, Chiller Theater, Monster Mania, Horror Find, Monster Bash, Monster Rally, toy and collectible shows and, yes, even the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. Being a volunteer staffer is fun, despite the fact that the job is defined as work. Some people have said it is never work if you are having fun with it. (I always say it is only "work" if you feel you have something more important to do.) And for Kevin, his devotion was important -- it was never work for him.

Whether he was driving celebrities to and from the airport to the convention hotel, fetching bottles of ice cold water for the celebrities, navigating the autograph lines or simply sitting with the celebrity to assist them, Kevin loved what he was doing. When fans wanted their photo taken with a celebrity, it was Kevin who took their picture.

One of the fringe benefits to being a volunteer staff member at a convention is not only the free lunch, but the free autographs. Most celebrities give volunteer staff members (identified with their staff shirts) a free autograph (or two) and for Kevin, after thirty years of conventions, he amassed what is probably one of the largest -- and most impressive -- collection of autographs I have ever seen.

Sadly, Kevin's days of volunteering are at an end. Having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2018, and the fact that the disease is getting worse, Kevin was forced to go into assisted living. His entire collection is now up for sale on the website listed below, and being sold off piece meal at the very same conventions he was a volunteer. All sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, Kevin's collection can be found by going to the autograph page on the website, then adjusting the search settings to "Date, New to Old."

Among his collection we also found albums of photographs where Kevin took a moment and had his photo taken with the very celebrities he helped on those weekends. I spent the past few hours scanning many of those photos, some of which I am reprinting below. Thank you, Kevin, for all that you have done over the years.

www.WilliamsburgNostalgiaFest.com