ISAAC ASIMOV


(January 2, 1920 -- April 6, 1992)

By "Sir William"
From Salley Hemings Memorial Newsletter ,
Thomas Jefferson (Central Virginia) Mensa, May 1992
Reprinted in East Texas Mensa Spectrum, June 1992

Isaac Asimov passed away April 6 at the age of 72. He was someone that I really admired and respected. My first exposure to his work was while I was in the 10th grade. A friend of mine that knew of my interest in good SF lent me a copy of Foundation to read. I was in the locker room after gymnastics practice when a senior who used to kid me about the books I read came by and picked it up. "What kind of junk are we reading this week?" he said as he looked it over. "All right! Isaac Asimov! You know who this guy is?" I told him no and he went on to tell me that he was probably the greatest writer alive, maybe ever. I especially remember him saying "This guy's written like 500 books on everything." I'd never paid much attention to who wrote anything, but I started seeing the name Asimov all over the place after that. In the book store there always seemed to be at least half a dozen books by him on the shelves dealing with science, SF, religion, Shakespeare and other subjects.

After joining Mensa I was thrilled to hear that he was a member. I checked my membership register and there he was, along with his address and phone number. I could actually contact him if I wanted to! I didn't, though: surely someone of his stature was too busy to talk to just anyone who called to say "Hello." One evening when I didn't have anything else to do I figured "What the heck" and called him up. I was sort of surprised when he answered the phone. I'd halfway expected a secretary or someone who would want to know what I was calling about or something like that. He was very friendly and we talked for a pretty good while. I remember asking him if he really had a Radio Shack TRS-80 computer. (Their last catalog had a picture of him sitting at one.) He said that while he was talking to me he was sitting in front of it writing.

I called him now and then after that. He always seemed to have time to talk. If he didn't he would say so, but would continue by saying when he expected to be free. We talked about all sorts of things; computers, science, how to get ideas for writing articles, current events. I wrote an article about Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars and their slogan "Peter Paul Almond Joy's got nuts . . . Peter Paul Mounds don't." It dealt with whether or not Mounds did (have nuts, that is). Before calling Peter Paul, I called Isaac Asimov to find out for certain if coconut was really a nut. He told me that not only was it a nut, but that it was the world's largest nut. The man was a walking encyclopedia.

It saddens me that there will be no more books or magazine articles by this man. He was truly blessed with a gift for communicating with people. I for one will miss him.

Dave Felt, AMC Chairman, has announced a memorial fund for Isaac Asimov, who is a Past Vice President of Mensa International. It will be administered by the Mensa Education and Research Foundation, 2626 E. 14th Street, Brooklyn NY 11235-3992. Funding scholarships or special projects is an excellent way to remember Asimov's example and contributions.