I'm a newbie since '97 and didn't know anyone there, though I don't get out to conventions much

I would have thought Jim would be there though, Carol Cox, and maybe some of the starters that aren't in the biz anymore.
I know I got into this biz after reading an article on Persian Kitty in Wired magazine and imo she is still one of the top "middlepersons" in the biz.
And then there's the top tgp guys, the Hun, AL4a, etc.