Willis Everett McNelly (December 16, 1920 – April 7, 2003) was an American literature professor and writer who authored ''

The Dune Encyclopedia ''The Dune Encyclopedia'' is a 1984 collection of essays written by Willis E. McNelly and multiple other contributors as a companion to Frank Herbert's Dune (franchise), ''Dune'' series of science fiction novels. Overview ''The Dune Encyclopedia ...

'', the 1984 companion to

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel '' Dune'' and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked a ...

's ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

'' series of science fiction novels. The son of an avid science fiction reader of the same name, McNelly grew up immersed in science fiction, which he later preferred to call "

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

." Securing a doctorate in English literature from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

,"Literary Scholar Willis McNelly Dead at 82"
Campusapps.fullerton.edu April 10, 2003. McNelly later edited the first university-level textbooks on science fiction as literature in the mid-1960s, in particular '' Above the Human Landscape'' and '' Mars, We Love You'', co-edited with his fellow teacher, Jane Hipolito. An "internationally recognized scholar and authority on the writings of

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

, T. S. Eliot,

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

," McNelly was "best known for his pioneering efforts to win acceptance of science fiction as a serious form of modern literature." Named

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

professor of the year in 1975, McNelly received the

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...

Outstanding Professor of the Year award in 1976. McNelly fostered the science fiction wing of the Cal State Fullerton Pollak Library where original manuscripts of many science fiction authors, including Philip K. Dick and

, are located. McNelly was appointed the Curator of the library's Science Fiction Collection in Spring 2000. Most of the over 5,000 science fiction books contained in the wing are from the combined collection of Willis Jr. and his father. McNelly wrote the eulogy for close friend Frank Herbert in 1986; following Herbert's death, McNelly tried to reprint ''The Dune Encyclopedia''—itself originally approved by Herbert—but the Herbert Estate (currently named the Herbert Limited Trust) refused to allow it. McNelly died of cancer on April 7, 2003, at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California. ''

The Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...

'' April 10, 2003.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McNelly, Willis E. 1920 births 2003 deaths American science fiction writers Northwestern University alumni California State University, Fullerton faculty Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male writers