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Forry Ackerman Dead At 92
rrohbeck was one of several readers to note the passing of Forrest J. Ackerman at the age of 92. Ackerman, who coined the term sci-fi in 1954, has been called the 'world's biggest fan.' Over a long career he acted as literary agent for Isaac Asimov, A.E. van Vogt, Hugo Gernsback, and L. Ron Hubbard; he published Ray Bradbury's first short story in a fan magazine in 1938. Ackerman wrote over 2,000 articles and short stories, including, oddly enough, lesbian fiction in the 1940s. In recent years, mounting health bills forced him to sell his home, the 'Ackermansion,' and most of the 300,000 items of memorabilia it stored.
I was strolling through a thrift store in Orange County somewhere and picked up a worn out paperback called Dianetics. It saved my life. I was in Heaven's Gate before, but after reading that, I realized that was all wrong. The saucers weren't coming for us; they were already here. L. Ron is who they left behind - he was wagered by one of the saucer people, and that's how he got here, all those years ago. Long story short...I AM ALIVE! Unlike this dead dude, Ackerman.