Williamson, Jack, 1908-2006

Jack Williamson is, beyond any doubt, the Dean of the Science Fiction Writers, with his career spanning from 1928 to the present. Born in 1908, Williamson traveled to New Mexico by covered wagon. In 1928 he sold his first story, The Metal Man, and has continued to write through 2005, with his latest novel being The Stonehenge Gate . He earned a B. A. and M. A. degree from Eastern New Mexico University, and a Ph. D. from the University of Colorado. In the course of his career, Williamson has been honored with a First Fandom Science Fiction Hall of Fame Award, the Pilgrim Award of the Science Fiction Research Association, the Grand Master Award for Lifetime achievement of the Science Fiction Writers of America, Hugo awards in 1985 and 2001, and a Nebula Award 1n 2001. Historian Sam Moskowitz noted that Williamson pioneered superior characterization in a field almost barren of it, realism in the presentation of human motivation previously unknown, scientific rationalization of supernatural concepts for story purposes, and exploitation of the untapped story potentials of antimatter. As an academic, Williamson helped legitimize science fiction as a literary field of study, and publicized the many courses in science fiction in American universities. He is truly a Grand Master of science fiction and fantasy.

From the guide to the Inventory of the Jack Williamson Collection: Sci Fi MSS 00224., n.a., (Cushing Memorial Library)