Ross Rocklynne

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(February 21, 1913 – October 29, 1988)

RocklynneRoss-Startling11-1942.jpeg

Ross Rocklynne was the pen name most often used by Ross Louis “Rocky” Rocklin, a fan and pro active in the Golden Age of Science Fiction. He also wrote under the pseudonyms of H. F. Cente and Carlton Smith.

He was a member of The Hell Pavers and one of the founders of the CFG and the N3F. He attended the first World Science Fiction Convention, Nycon, in 1939, by which time he had already sold a number of stories.

Rocklin was a regular contributor to the science fiction pulps. His first story, “Man of Iron,” appeared in Astounding in 1935. Despite his numerous appearances and solid writing, he never quite achieved the fame of contemporaries such as Robert Heinlein, L. Sprague de Camp, and Isaac Asimov. Chad Oliver said of him, "Ross Rocklynne was one of the important authors of magazine science fiction's middle years ... never less than a capable story teller. He was a major creator of the science fiction of the past, but he was also one of those who pointed the way ahead."

He partially retired from writing in the late 1950s, but made a notable return in the 1970s when his novelette "Ching Witch!" was included in Harlan Ellison's original anthology Again, Dangerous Visions (1972). "Ching Witch!" was nominated for a Nebula Award.

Ross Rocklynne (1940s). Courtesy of Rob Hansen.

He was 6'2", blond and blue-eyed. He was married to Frances Rocklin (née Rosenthal, August 26, 1916–September 1, 1992). Born in Ohio, Rocklin died in Los Angeles, CA, at the age of 75.


During the first Worldcon, fans took the opportunity to visit Coney Island, where this foto-op took place. Front, from left: Mark Reinsberg, Jack Agnew, Ross Rocklynne. Rear: Vincent Kidwell, Robert A. Madle, Erle Korshak, Ray Bradbury, July 4, 1939. Courtesy of Robert Madle.



Person 19131988
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