David B was made a GD moderator about 6-16-1999.
Reading his statement about being made mod gives you an idea about how much he was looking forward to the job.
JillGat was also in 1999.
I’ll see if I can tweak something to see their end dates.
JillGat retired from moderating GQ about 4-29-2002
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=2048149&postcount=1
Nickrz was announced by tubadiva on 4-28-2000 to no longer be moderating GQ.
Also JillGat was moderating CoCC in 1999 or so, and decided to leave that post in or about 5-15-2000, when CKDextHavn took over.
5-22-2000, Arnold Winkelried is announced as the new mod of CoCC
Please don’t leave out Chronos as a former moderator(in GQ). He and bibliophage were the two best GQ Moderators of my early time spent here as a member. Hell, they are still possibly the two best in the forum known as GQ.
Coldfire, easily one of the more beloved mods on here.
Clogboy, as he was affectionately known. 
Can’t give you dates without tweaking.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Okay. From that I have these to check out for details:
DavidB
Knickers
Kn*ckers
Jill
Melin
JillGat
Nickrz
Arnold Winkelried
Chronos
Coldfire
But since “Melin” was before my time I need help determining which of these (if any) is who y’all mean. “Melin” as such doesn’t appear.
These do:
Mel Buxton
Mel haney
Mel N. Head
Mel Rush
Mel!n’s sympathizer
MEL-KEY-WHEY
mel168us
mel1808
Melaleuca
Melan
melan8
Melanc
Melancholy
melandjo
Melandry
meliaas
meliador
Meliadus
Melian
melikebeer
MeliMelMel
Melin’s Advocate
Melin’s Sympathizer
MelipoTasernu
Melis
melis2xarae
meliska77
Melissa
melissa h
Melissa Jane
I feel very sure there are more ex-Mods out there, too. Help?
I’m going to build a big list of all the Mods (current and older) in UserID/Join Date order. That may help jog some memories and help put them into the timeline more easily.
According to Google, the name Melin was a moderator. It’s a bit before my time, but if you want you can look at this Aug 1999 thread wondering where he disappeared too. Looks like a bit of a hornet’s nest, however, so I presume his account was destroyed.
What I did was go to Google and type:
site:boards.straightdope.com melin moderator
Good work! That eases the problem somewhat, and I fear similar things may have happened with some of the other older names, all of whom predate my arrival.
I’m going to need help with these, as far as which “name(s)” really apply to Mods:
DavidB
Knickers
Kn*ckers
Jill
I have these filled in, but I need confirmation from those who know for sure:
JillGat
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=231
JillGat
Total Posts: 3,824
Join Date: 03-16-1999
Nickrz
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=131
Nickrz
Total Posts: 2,031
Join Date: 03-13-1999
Arnold Winkelried
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2891
Arnold Winkelried
Total Posts: 14,742
Join Date: 10-18-1999
Chronos
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=4176
Chronos
Total Posts: 43,691
Join Date: 01-22-2000
Coldfire is already accounted for upthread.
Not he, she.
Melin is a lady of the female persuasion.
Damn, everybody forgot UncleBeer…
Here’s that sorted list of Mods and Admins I promised:
<===== Designates current Moderator or Administrator
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Straight Dope Message Board - Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks. <=====
Ed Zotti
Total Posts: 1,643
Join Date: 02-18-1999
C K Dexter Haven .Cafe Society, Comments on Staff Reports
Straight Dope Message Board - Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks. <=====
C K Dexter Haven
Total Posts: 14,002
Join Date: 02-19-1999
Eutychus
Total Posts: 5,410
Join Date: 02-20-1999
TubaDiva .About This Message Board
Straight Dope Message Board - Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks. <=====
TubaDiva
Total Posts: 8,578
Join Date: 03-10-1999
tomndebb N E Ohio.Great Debates
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=82 <=====
tomndebb
Total Posts: 32,676
Join Date: 03-12-1999
Nickrz
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=131
Nickrz
Total Posts: 2,031
Join Date: 03-13-1999
Rico Utah’s Dixie. General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=207 <=====
Rico
Total Posts: 4,597
Join Date: 03-16-1999
JillGat
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=231
JillGat
Total Posts: 3,824
Join Date: 03-16-1999
SkipMagic In Yon Twee. Cafe Society, Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=547
SkipMagic
Total Posts: 6,768
Join Date: 04-08-1999
Czarcasm Earth Prime, Pre-Crisis In My Humble Opinion
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=774
Czarcasm
Total Posts: 24,597
Join Date: 04-24-1999
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1185 <=====
Ellen Cherry
Total Posts: 8,882
Join Date: 05-21-1999
Ukulele Ike Brooklyn.Cafe Society
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1717
Ukulele Ike
Total Posts: 10,629
Join Date: 07-07-1999
Coldfire
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1957
Coldfire
Total Posts: 15,943
Join Date: 07-27-1999
Gaudere . Great Debates
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=1961 <=====
Gaudere
Total Posts: 6,107
Join Date: 07-28-1999
Manhattan
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2025
manhattan
Total Posts: 9,127
Join Date: 08-03-1999
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2109
Spectre of Pithecanthropus
Total Posts: 16,010
Join Date: 08-11-1999
samclem Akron, Ohio. General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2145 <=====
samclem
Total Posts: 18,485
Join Date: 08-15-1999
TVeblen Cecil’s dungeon.The BBQ Pit
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2510
TVeblen
Total Posts: 6,610
Join Date: 09-11-1999
Arnold Winkelried
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=2891
Arnold Winkelried
Total Posts: 14,742
Join Date: 10-18-1999
DrMatrix New York State of Mind. General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=3128
DrMatrix
Total Posts: 3,299
Join Date: 11-05-1999
Chronos
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=4176
Chronos
Total Posts: 43,691
Join Date: 01-22-2000
Cajun Man New York State of Mind. Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=4803
Cajun Man
Total Posts: 2,451
Join Date: 03-05-2000
bibliophage Maine. Comments on Cecil’s Columns
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=5496
bibliophage
Total Posts: 8,883
Join Date: 04-07-2000
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=7108 <=====
RickJay
Total Posts: 27,078
Join Date: 06-12-2000
MEBuckner Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Great Debates
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=8547
MEBuckner
Total Posts: 9,307
Join Date: 08-03-2000
Giraffe San Jose, California. The BBQ Pit
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=8812
Giraffe
Total Posts: 9,336
Join Date: 08-13-2000
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=10115 <=====
Colibri
Total Posts: 18,506
Join Date: 10-11-2000
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=11601 <=====
Miller
Total Posts: 30,838
Join Date: 12-19-2000
xash Santa Clara, CA.General Questions
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=12220
xash
Total Posts: 4,091
Join Date: 01-15-2001
fluiddruid Des Moines, IA.Cafe Society, The BBQ Pit
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=19467
fluiddruid
Total Posts: 5,715
Join Date: 11-26-2001
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=21437 <=====
Marley23
Total Posts: 58,685
Join Date: 04-19-2002
Frank Denver, Colorado. In My Humble Opinion
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=23639
Frank
Total Posts: 16,835
Join Date: 07-11-2002
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=24510 <=====
twickster
Total Posts: 34,410
Join Date: 08-11-2002
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=32947 <=====
Gary “Wombat” Robson
Total Posts: 8,726
Join Date: 03-20-2003
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=38203 <=====
Idle Thoughts
Total Posts: 6,854
Join Date: 08-07-2003
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=42630 <=====
Gfactor
Total Posts: 9,469
Join Date: 12-22-2003
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?u=53286 <=====
Gukumatz
Total Posts: 2,288
Join Date: 06-11-2005
Melin is indeed female; I used to talk with her quite a lot but she’s been occupied with other things for a while.
I procrastinated for years before joining this board, or so it seemed. I never got around to joining AOL. I think I even sent Cecil 2 emails with questions: one of his assistants responded with an invitation to join here, one jovial the other a little more pointed. I finally crossed the registration hurdle.
It seemed that this board had been around forever. Opal had left and started up her own board. The Wally drama was alluded to. All the main forums had been set up (sans Cafe Society and the Game Room which came later). There were tons of members who seemed to know one another well. And yet now I see that the board only entered the world wide web in March 1999, in the year before I signed up. Odd.
Screenshot of the Dope from 2000.
Besides forgetting UncleBeer as a moderator, it seems we forgot Alphagene also… and slythe… but I believe that was someone who changed their name to one we remember better.
http://web.archive.org/web/20000815063701/http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/
It was on AOL for a while before that, so many members knew each other by March 1999.
Pretty sure Slythe became Czarcasm?
Not sure if John Corrado was mentioned, pretty sure he was a mod at one point.
Also, Lynn Bodoni hasn’t been mentioned, oddly enough.
==========================
I’ll be updating the list with these names but I’ll wait a while to repost the update. There just have to be many other ex-Mods to account for.
Has the “first post of the year” list been helpful? Would a monthly or at least seasonal “first post” assist in locating key events or issues?
That “screen shot” never loaded for me. Can you describe what it shows?
What other ingredients will a proper timeline include?
It was from the Wayback Machine. I took screenshots of two pages.
Good stuff! They remind me of some trivia I posted about as we were nearing some “number of posts” or “number of members” gee whiz point. I’m going to try to collect links to threads I was involved in where board trivia were the key points. If others could do similar links, perhaps we could start filling in some blanks in the timeline. I know my knowledge of board history is weak.