Harry Warner, Jr. died last month at age 80.

He's a legend in science fiction fandom, though he rarely attended any conventions. He published fanzines and wrote two great books about the history of science fiction fandom. And he wrote letters of comment to just about every zine out there. When I was younger and dreamed of putting out a zine of my own, I always imagined I'd know I'd Made It if I got a LoC from Harry Warner, Jr.

I also always kept an eye out for his two books.

This is a nifty article about Warner, Jr. from a colleague at the newspaper where he worked in Hagerstown, Maryland. Amazing how people in his hometown had no idea the fame he had in fannish circles. It's a great piece. [via PNH's Electrolite]