!!!
Stop the presses. Reading other posts tied to that link above I learn much to my shock it appears that one Doug Orlowski is actually here among us! Well hell.
See, Doug, in a way, unknowingly, helped me further on my way into this floating world.
It was either Dec. 1981 or Jan. 1982, it was a con near Detroit (I believe it was a Confusion), I was introduced to Marg Baskin and her crew (and where I first met Ardith) who were all a bit glum because Ardith had borrowed a couple of tapes from C/Fo Detroit, one of them being the first Ziv dubbed Space Pirate Captain Harlock. (the good one and I won't hear anything different). Glum faces because here was a tape they really really wanted to watch, and no way to watch it.
New Guy Steve (me), who was kind of shoved in a corner after first introductions piped up, because I had hauled my massive 42 pound Silvania VHS VCR with me. Oh, suddenly everyone wanted to pay attention to me you betcha.
I got the VCR out of my room, hooked it up, and we all watched raptly as Captain Harlock dealt with the evil Zetons. I think we watched that tape 3 times. There was discussion about what a shame it was we didn't have a second VCR to dupe it, if it wasn't copygarded, that is.
Marg said,like it was a deep deep secret, they had a friend in another room that had a VCR and 'other' stuff, maybe he could make some copies. (it may be he was wanting to do some tape cloning for Marg but he only had one VCR? I'm just guessing) So, trusting idiot I was, (and Ardith was very worried about that tape!), I actually loaned my machine and cables to a guy I never really saw, for the purposes of getting a copy of that tape. Everything was fine, I think my machine was in constant use for a day or so, but I got it back just fine, Ardith got her tape back to return to Detroit, and I got my second gen copy which I still have to this day.
It is REALLY strange how some of these people turn up in an unexpected way. Doug, if you are here and I'm relating that story (from my viewpoint of course) correctly, then a decades long belated Thank You for your help.
Some time over the weekend I had heard the name Doug Orlowski mentioned as the person in the secret room.