Staff

Gary Con Staff & Owner/Partner of Tom Wham Games

Dave had the good fortune of growing up in Lake Geneva at just the right time to be one of those geeky high school kids hanging out at the Dungeon Hobby Shop when D&D was first created. Since he didn’t go to college, getting a job at TSR in 1979 was a no-brainer (working from 79-83) where he quickly settled in on managing GEN CON (the Kenosha years), GEN CON South/East, and all the mini-conventions with his good friend Skip Williams. After falling victim in one of the waves of TSR layoffs, he still ran the GEN CON Auction all through the 80s and eventually returned to TSR a second time in the early 90s to manage their Pre-Press Department until the company moved to Seattle. Choosing not to follow, he finished his career working outside the gaming industry and retired in 2017. Dave is busier than ever in his “retirement.” He has the honor of helping to run another great convention, Gary Con and has formed a business partnership with life-long friend, Tom Wham (Tom Wham Games). The two are publishing as many of the games Tom has on his shelves (of which there are many) for others to enjoy.

Dave seldom plays D&D anymore, but was blessed to be a regular player in the campaigns of two great DMs in the 70s and 80s—Skip Williams and Frank Mentzer. Playing that game with those masterful DMs as well as the other players in those early years will always recall wonderful memories for Dave. These days, he is fortunate to play online board games with a couple lifelong friends every week as well as attend an occasional convention. Whenever the opportunity arises to sit at the table, however, any Tom Wham game is high on his list to play.

Dave has a wonderful wife (Sue) of over 40 years who he loves dearly and who indulges him with the many hours spent working on both Gary Con and Tom Wham Games.