David A. Kyle (February 14, 1919 – September 18, 2016) was an American
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
writer and member of
science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
.
Professional career
Kyle served as a reporter in the
Air Force Reserves
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
with the rank of
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
, writing
civil defense
Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...
material, while working at radio station
WPDM
WPDM (1470 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Potsdam, New York, United States. The station is owned by Martz Communications Group, through licensee Waters Communications Inc.
History
On May 18, 2015, WPDM ...
in
Potsdam, New York
Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...
.
With
Martin Greenberg
Martin Greenberg (June 28, 1918 – October 20, 2013) was an American book publisher and editor of science fiction anthologies.
Biography
Greenberg married in 1941. He was in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 where he attained the rank of corporal ...
, Kyle founded
Gnome Press
Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 titles in its lifespan — many considered classi ...
in 1948. He wrote two pictorial histories of science fiction (''A Pictorial History of Science Fiction'' and ''The Illustrated Book of Science Fiction Ideas and Dreams'') and three licensed novels set in the
Lensman
The ''Lensman'' series is a series of science fiction novels by American author E. E. "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the 1966 Hugo award for Best All-Time Series, losing to the ''Foundation'' series by Isaac Asimov.
Plot
The series begins ...
universe (''The Dragon Lensman'', ''Lensman from Rigel'' and ''Z-Lensman'').
He appeared with
Paul Levinson
Paul Levinson (born March 25, 1947) is an American author, singer-songwriter, and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City. His novels, short fiction, and non-fiction works have been translated into ...
,
Greg Bear
Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) was an American writer and illustrator best known for science fiction. His work covered themes of galactic conflict ('' Forge of God'' books), parallel universes ('' The Way'' series), ...
and many others on the
History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
's 2002
documentary, ''Fantastic Voyage: Evolution of Science Fiction''. He died at the age of 97 on September 18, 2016.
Fandom
![WSFS 020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/WSFS_020.jpg)
Kyle, an active fan since the earliest days of organized
science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
, was an original member of New York's
Futurians
The Futurians were a group of science fiction (SF) fans, many of whom became editors and writers as well. The Futurians were based in New York City and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and science fiction fandom i ...
. In 1936, he published ''The Fantasy World'', possibly the first
comics
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
fanzine.
He attended the
first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...
, and both wrote and printed the "
Yellow Pamphlet
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
" condemning the organizers. The
manifesto
A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
led chairman
Sam Moskowitz
Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920 – April 15, 1997) was an American writer, critic, and historian of science fiction.
Biography
As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of ...
to ban several prominent members of the Futurians from that convention.
Kyle chaired the 1956
14th World Science Fiction Convention
The 14th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as NyCon II or NEWYORCON, was held on 31 August–3 September 1956 at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, United States.
The chairman was David A. Kyle.
Participants
Atte ...
(NyCon II), an incident at which inspired the fan
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, "Dave Kyle says you can't sit here." He was created a Knight of The Order of Saint Fantony in 1961, and was awarded the
Big Heart Award
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...
in 1973. Kyle was also Fan Guest of Honor at ConStellation, the
41st World Science Fiction Convention
The 41st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as ConStellation, was held on 1–5 September 1983 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
The chairman was Michael J. Walsh.
Participants
A ...
, in 1983.
In addition, he wrote hundreds of articles for various
fanzine
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
s, including regular articles for Richard and Nicki Lynch's ''
Mimosa
''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resembl ...
''.
Kyle married another fan, Ruth Evelyn Landis (whom he had met through fandom), on August 31, 1957; for their
honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
they flew to England for the
1957 Worldcon there, together with 53 friends and in-laws, on a specially
chartered flight
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline).
Regulation
Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights r ...
. They remained married until her death on January 5, 2011. They had a son Arthur and a daughter Kerry.
"Obituaries: Ruth Evelyn Kyle, 81, formerly of Potsdam"
''NorthCountryNow.com'', January 6, 2011.
References
External links
* ttp://www.redjacketpress.com/books/dragon_lensman.html Information on Kyle's three authorized "Second Stage Lensman" novels
Articles about Futurians and old Fandom by David Kyle
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, David
1919 births
2016 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American publishers (people)
American science fiction writers
Futurians
People from St. Lawrence County, New York
Science fiction editors
Science fiction fans
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from New York (state)