Robert A Heinlein Tribute
FYI,
: Dear Space Advocate:
: I am contacting you at the request of Tim Kyger, whom many of you
: know from many space-related activities. In his "spare" time, Tim
: is Chairman of the Heinlein Centennial, a commemoration of Robert
: A. Heinlein's life and influence that will be held on July 6-7-8,
: 2007, in Kansas City Missouri. There will be exhibits, tours, art,
: sales, and programming in three principal tracks--general science
: fiction, academic Heinleinia, and space. A birthday celebration,
: the Gala, is planned for Saturday, July 7, 2007, Heinlein's 100th
: birthday.
: Several guests have already committed to attend, including the head
: of NASA, Dr. Michael Griffin; astronaut and moon-walker Dr. Buzz
: Aldrin; the first winner of the $500,000 Heinlein Prize for
: Accomplishments in Commercial Space Activities, Dr. Peter
: Diamandis; and (through video link) Heinlein's most illustrious
: contemporary, Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Details can be found at the
: Centennial website: http://www.HeinleinCentennial.com .
: It is no exaggeration to say Heinlein was the most influential
: science fiction author of the mid-20th century, but his influence
: extends to this day far beyond the literary. I had the fortune to
: meet him a handful of times. I recall him once saying he had
: several filing cabinet drawers of letters from the three full
: generations of his readers who had come of age during his writing
: career. Though himself childless, these "children of Heinlein" had
: written to him to say they had become scientists, engineers, and
: the like because they were influenced by his writing to enter such
: fields. Heinlein obviously thought being the sui generis of this
: nucleus of future technologists was his greatest contribution to
: humanity. He was a fierce advocate and believer that our human
: species would, inevitably, venture into space. At one time or
: another, his book "Starship Troopers" has been on the required
: reading list of all three service academies. In recognition of
: Heinlein's influence on readers who would later become aerospace
: engineers and scientists, the NASA Medal for Distinguished Public
: Service was awarded to him posthumously in 1988. There is a Robert
: A. Heinlein Chair in Aerospace Engineering at the Naval Academy as
: well.
: Tim has asked me to contact a number of space-related websites to
: request the following of you:
: (1) To encourage your attendance and participation at the
: Centennial.
: (2) Mention the Heinlein Centennial on your website, and link
: to the Centennial website.
: (3) "Virally" mention the Heinlein Centennial to anybody else
: you might think of or be in contact with.
: Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I hope you can
: participate, and please contact me for further information or
: questions. I can be reached at kgkato@xxxxxxxxxxxx .
: Yours truly,
: Keith G. Kato
--
Mark Reiff <markreiff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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