Harry Warner, Jr.
| Harry Warner Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 19, 1922 Chambersburg, Pennsylvania |
| Died | February 17, 2003 (aged 80) Hagerstown, Maryland |
| Occupation | Journalist, historian, science fiction writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Autodidact |
| Alma mater | Hagerstown High School |
| Period | 1938–2003 |
| Genre | Journalism, science fiction fandom |
| Subject | History, fandom |
| Notable works |
All Our Yesterdays A Wealth of Fable Spaceways Horizons |
| Notable awards | Hugo Awards (1969, 1972, 1993), First Fandom Hall of Fame award, Washington County, Maryland, Historical Preservation Award |
Harry Warner Jr. (December 19, 1922 – February 17, 2003) was an American journalist. He spent 40 years working for the Hagerstown, Maryland, Herald-Mail.
He was also an important science fiction fan and historian of fandom and Washington County, Maryland, as well as a classical musician.
Warner was born in 1922 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Due to poor health, he dropped out of Hagerstown High School by the 10th grade.
Despite his lack of formal education, he was a well-read and learned man, an autodidact who taught himself seven languages. During World War II, he translated letters from overseas to families of American soldiers.
Warner never married. On his death, he left most of his possessions to a Hagerstown Lutheran church.
Warner started as a reporter at The Herald-Mail on May 17, 1943, covering governmental agencies and the farming community, along with obituaries and general news. A rapid typist and fast writer, Warner would often begin composing his stories while taking down information from sources. He also excelled at page layouts and writing headlines, and took a weekly stint as editor in charge. "He was amazing," a colleague, Gloria Dahlhamer, recalled.
A lover of classical music, who played the piano and oboe in local recitals and on radio, he became the paper's classical music critic. He also wrote a column focusing on local history and served as the media representative on the Washington County government's Historical Advisory Committee; he received the county's Historical Preservation Award for 1982.
He retired in 1983.
Warner became active in science fiction fandom in 1936, although he was extremely reclusive, earning the nickname "The Hermit of Hagerstown" by the 1950s. He rigidly kept his professional life in Hagerstown and his science fiction world separate, and few people in his hometown knew of his science fiction activities until after his death. He hated to travel, and almost never attended science fiction conventions. Although in the 1930s he welcomed such visitors as Frederik Pohl, Jack Speer, Wilson "Bob" Tucker, Milt Rothman and Russ Chauvenet, ultimately, he discouraged the visits from other fans.
...
Wikipedia