Sir Arthur

I was jolted out of my 'make coffee now' routine yesterday by the news that Sir Arthur Clarke had died. Yeah, he was quite old and these things are to be expected....but I'm sorry, I didn't want to expect this. He was one of the authors that awakened me to SF when I was 13 and propelled me into hard SF rather than dragons and elves. I named a solar sailing ship for him in one of my published stories....The Clarke. I have no idea if he ever knew that story existed, although he might have read a review of it. I met him when I was just starting out, had just won the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. We shared a shuttle to the airport after that Balticon. He was so charming, so very British, and flirted elegantly during the entire journey. I was so charmed. Hey, he was sexy even at close to 80! I have to say, I did catch the wince when I said 'You've been one of my favorite writers since I was a kid'. I guess maybe that wasn't kind right then, reminding him of our age difference. But I meant it sincerely.

He wrote SF, he lived life fully to his standards. He was a charming, warm man, who wore his knighthood easily and well.

Fare thee well, Sir Arthur!