John V. Baltadonis was a founding member of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS) and of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association (FAPA) in the 1930s.
One of the most active fans of the 1930s, he was an amateur artist and served as art editor for the PSFS fanzine Imaginative Fiction.
At one time he was known as the “Paul of the fan artists.” With others he co-edited the second version of the Science Fiction Collector, beginning in 1937.
He attended the 1938 Philadelphia Conference, the Second Eastern States Science Fiction Convention, and Nylon.
He fought in World War II in the Seventh Air Force and then taught art at Haverford High School in Pennsylvania for 35 years He was elected to First Fandom Hall of Fame in 1998 and died the same year at the age of 77. lived in Upper Darby, PA with his wife Patricia and sons, John and Steven.