Ray Bradbury passed away last night. He was 91, a little more than two months shy of his 92nd birthday. Bradbury, as most anyone reading this article will know, is best known for three major works: Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Martian Chronicles.
Bradbury was a true story teller as well as a visionary. His works ranged from thought provoking “what ifs” and dystopian societies, to space exploration and hauntingly dark fantasies. Without a doubt, Bradbury was one of the best writers produced in the 20th century in any genre, not just in SF.
My first introduction to Bradbury was probably in the fifth Grade, reading the story “A Sound of Thunder”, the story of a hunter who goes back in time to hunt a dinosaur, and inadvertently changes all history.
It would be several years later, while in high school, that I would have my first opportunity to meet Bradbury. He was giving a talk at CSU Fresno, and I was able to get excused from classes that day in order to attend the event. It was well worth while going to. The student union at CSUF where Bradbury was giving his talk was standing room only and overflowed to the outdoors, which is where I was. One of the most memorable things Bradbury said, and it was a great piece of advice, was that if you want to be a great writer, write every day, for at least a half an hour. Sound advice.
Bradbury signed autographs, and I had a couple of books signed by him. It was a fun day, exciting for a teenaged geek.
A few years later, in San Diego, we would meet again, this time at the Old Globe Telethon. It was a busy event for everyone there, as everyone had some “job” they were doing for the Old Globe. Bradbury was one of many celebrities manning the phone bank and taking pledges. I was there with a group of SF fans from STAR San Diego, giving a check to the Old Globe; money raised by a recent convention we ran, organized by Pearl Stickler. The convention, What A Con!, raised $400 for the Old Globe, and a like amount for the Air Museum, both of which had tragically burned down.
Bradbury was not only a fine writer, and a great story teller, he was a fine man, as fine as ever there was. He will be greatly missed, not only by his family and friends, but by all of us whose lives he has touched. Rest well, Ray. We all miss you down here.
Read more at Locus Online.
