Well, Marty, for some reason, the first thread was #4, started by Max October 1, 1996.
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4
Max and Dick Greenhaus were here from the start, of course. Bert shows up later in October. I'm not sure where Bert fits into the mix - he works with Max, or Max owes him lots of money, or something... The counter says Bert has posted 3,474 messages since 29 Oct 96, but I saw posts from him before that date (don't ask how many I've posted).

Susan of DT came a little late - but still in 1996. It's not until Thread 32 that I start seeing names that are really familiar. There's Peter, and I suspect he's Peter T. There's our sactified curmudgeon Bill D, there's Bill Foster, and of course there's Bert. Martin Ryan, too. Looking a little farther, I see Ralph Butts, LaMarca, and Bob Schwarer. Susan A-R was way early, too.
Hmmm. Another poster was from Los Alamos National Laboratory - I've posted a few Mudcat messages from their library... You don't have to wait in line to use the Internet from there - but it helps to have a "Q" clearance.
The last thread started in October 1996, was #87, Message #215 - and I know at least ten of those threads were blank and probably several messages were. We got a slow start. I think you'll find I got here about 12/96 or 1/97, and Dale Rose and Gene G got here about the same time. It was the Washington, DC folks who got here first, since the Digital Tradition has its roots in the Folklore Society of Greater Washington (among other places).
-Joe Offer-