RIP George M. Ewing 1946-2010
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America blog is reporting that George M. Ewing died of a heart attack on 18 May.
They say:George Ewing, SFWA member, short story writer, and author of many technical articles, died Tuesday, May 18, at the age of 64 after suffering a massive heart attack in the parking lot of the business where he was employed, Measurement, Inc., in Tampa, Florida. George was a resident of Dunedin, Florida. He was not married and is survived by a brother, Tom Ewing, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. George was a member and mainstay of the St. Petersburg Writers Club and a regular guest and panelist at the NecronomiCon SF Convention held in St. Petersburg, Florida.
He will be missed.
I added a comment on the SFWA site:
George was a character and a half! He loved electronics and the Upper Peninsula and crazy inventions and odd corners of history and ham radio and techie culture, and he could roll all those things together into a sizzling science fiction story. I have many memories of sharing coffee from his battered green thermos and hearing him tell stories by a campfire.
He was a master of scrounging, stretching, or recycling a great variety of stuff, and even published a book about it: Living on a Shoestring: A Scrounge Manual for the Hobbyist. He taught high school English in Cheboygan, Michigan for many years. Later he spent summers in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, and winters in Florida. He wrote nonfiction regularly for Computer Shopper and other magazines.
George attended the Clarion Workshop in 1973 and began selling soon after. Among his stories were "Black Fly," "QRP," "Letter Rip," "A Little Farther Up the Fox," and "Pyros," marked by jargon-slinging characters and adroit handling of high technology. He was Pro Guest of Honor at Nanocon in Houghton in 1996, and the Permanent Floating Riot Club published a chapbook of his stories for the occasion.
I looked forward to the demented reviews he published in fanzines. George loved a good SF movie, and would always find something good to say about a bad SF movie. He was involved with General Technics, a group of fans devoted to do-it-yourself technology, as soon as it began. George served as an avuncular inspiration who showed us what it meant to be a techie. It was a joy to know him.
(Cue angelic choir, accompanied by newly-recruited tuba player.)
* * *
Does anybody have good pictures of George?
Edited to add: Jeff Duntemann's thoughts on George.
A sample of his writing: George reminisces about Harvey's Basement.
They say:George Ewing, SFWA member, short story writer, and author of many technical articles, died Tuesday, May 18, at the age of 64 after suffering a massive heart attack in the parking lot of the business where he was employed, Measurement, Inc., in Tampa, Florida. George was a resident of Dunedin, Florida. He was not married and is survived by a brother, Tom Ewing, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. George was a member and mainstay of the St. Petersburg Writers Club and a regular guest and panelist at the NecronomiCon SF Convention held in St. Petersburg, Florida.
He will be missed.
I added a comment on the SFWA site:
George was a character and a half! He loved electronics and the Upper Peninsula and crazy inventions and odd corners of history and ham radio and techie culture, and he could roll all those things together into a sizzling science fiction story. I have many memories of sharing coffee from his battered green thermos and hearing him tell stories by a campfire.
He was a master of scrounging, stretching, or recycling a great variety of stuff, and even published a book about it: Living on a Shoestring: A Scrounge Manual for the Hobbyist. He taught high school English in Cheboygan, Michigan for many years. Later he spent summers in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, and winters in Florida. He wrote nonfiction regularly for Computer Shopper and other magazines.
George attended the Clarion Workshop in 1973 and began selling soon after. Among his stories were "Black Fly," "QRP," "Letter Rip," "A Little Farther Up the Fox," and "Pyros," marked by jargon-slinging characters and adroit handling of high technology. He was Pro Guest of Honor at Nanocon in Houghton in 1996, and the Permanent Floating Riot Club published a chapbook of his stories for the occasion.
I looked forward to the demented reviews he published in fanzines. George loved a good SF movie, and would always find something good to say about a bad SF movie. He was involved with General Technics, a group of fans devoted to do-it-yourself technology, as soon as it began. George served as an avuncular inspiration who showed us what it meant to be a techie. It was a joy to know him.
(Cue angelic choir, accompanied by newly-recruited tuba player.)
* * *
Does anybody have good pictures of George?
Edited to add: Jeff Duntemann's thoughts on George.
A sample of his writing: George reminisces about Harvey's Basement.