David Alway was a big, friendly, bear of a man who sat in corners in filk rooms in Midwest cons for over 30 years. He was instantly recognizable once you had met him: white beard, twinkle in his eye, and lap dulcimer in his hand. He’d recite obscure and not so obscure poetry. He’d sing with his dulcimer. He’d welcome anyone who came into the room, whether he knew them or not. But he made an impression that lasted. He was one of the most comfortable people to be around, and that’s one important thing about filkers – we’re each other’s chosen family.
His was not a prodigious performing talent. He didn’t run conventions. Until his retirement, he didn’t even attend many conventions outside of Michigan. But he was always *there*. He was always welcoming always willing to listen and always willing to recite poetry at you. With the rise of the Internet, however, he participated heavily in Live Journal and the online chat channel #filkhaven; and his warm, sweet demeanor welcomed and comforted filkers all over the world. After his retirement he was finally able to follow his dreams. He built a house where he didn’t have to lean over to use the counters, And he began hosting a quarterly house sing that drew performers from all over Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and he began attending conventions outside of Michigan. He was a regular attendee of OVFF, FKO, GaFilk, and the East Coast Floating Con. He began dragging his willing brother Peter everywhere he went most of the time paying his convention fees and transportation. Through contacts made online, and then reinforced in person he became a foundation upon which elements of Midwest filk rested. Like material foundations, you don’t see them, or really think of them… until they are suddenly no longer there. Dave passed away in 2007.
Dave gave much of his time and his own money to making badges & buttons for filkers that incorporated their #filkhaven and Live Journal names, logos and slogans. He bought all the materials himself and donated all the proceeds to Interfilk to help other people join in the activities he enjoyed himself. On his Live Journal and on #filkhaven, he was an instigator of many puns, odd definitions of words (some of them nonsense words!) and other fun stuff. He was a lover of poetry, and wrote some of his own parodies of well known poems, reciting both variants at conventions. He gave up his time and money to ensure that other people, including but not limited to his brother Peter, could attend filk conventions, by offering them lifts to and from the conventions in his car, however far away they were.
He loved filk. He adored his filk family, and he brought his analog family along to meet his virtual family, because he was at heart a filk evangelist. Dave was the very personification of a filk gardener – someone who generously helps others and nurtures them and listens and plans and makes filk a better, happier place.
For these contributions to filk music and the filk community, David Alway is inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame this twenty-sixth day of March, two thousand twenty-three.