Did you know that the man known as a “Dean of Science Fiction” actually hailed from the small town of Portales, New Mexico? Jack Williamson was a prolific science fiction author, teacher, and traveler – whether aboard a boat, plane, or train boxcar.
Remember the pulp magazine Amazing Stories? In 1928, when Williamson was only 20, he sold his first story to the magazine and went on to become one of the most popular science fiction authors of the early 20th century.
Williamson, a New Mexico native, said of his early life, “We lived on isolated farms and ranches, far from anybody, and when I was young I knew very few other kids, so I lived to a great extent in my imagination.”
The winner of two Hugos and a Nebulae award, Williamson used that imagination to write hundreds of popular science fiction stories and books.
Learn more about this amazing New Mexico native during the free Launch Pad Lecture on at 9:00 am on Friday, July 7th at the New Mexico Museum of Space History with Museum Education Specialist Michael Shinabery.
The Launch Pad Lectures are also streamed live on Periscope and are available on the museum’s YouTube channel.
The Launch Pad Lecture is free to the public and is held at 9 a.m. on the Museum’s first floor on the first Friday of each month.
Coffee and donuts are compliments of the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation.
The next Launch Pad Lecture will be on August 4, 2017 and the topic will be Total Solar Eclipse: What You Need to Know with Museum Education Director Dave Dooling.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 (toll free 1-877-333-6589)or visit their website or Facebook page.