Appreciation by Bill Mills: Author and longtime L.A. area fan Jack Jardine (aka Larry Maddock) passed away April 14, 2009 after a long illness. In addition to ongoing cardiac problems, Jardine suffered a serious stroke in 2005 from which he never fully recovered. He was 78 years of age at the time of his death and is survived by his daughter and two grandchildren.
[See the rest of Bill’s news after the jump.]
Larry Maddock is the penname under which humorist and social critic Jack Owen Jardine (born October 10th, 1931) wrote science fiction and mystery stories from the 1950s through the 1960s. His writing career was preceded by several years in radio as a disc jockey and creative director for KALF radio in Mesa Arizona. As Larry Maddock he may be best remembered for his highly-acclaimed “Agent of T.E.R.R.A.” series, featuring the exploits of debonair, time-traveling secret agent Hannibal Fortune and his sardonic, shape-shifting alien colleague Webley.
During the same period, under the names Arthur Farmer and Harry Barsted, he produced a series of classic ultra-softcore novels whose titles typify their era, including “Lesbo Lodge”, “The Nymph and the Satyr”, “Gay Divorcees”, “Malibu Nymphs”, “Love Me”, and “Sin Ship”. Ironically those very titles can be found today being sold by book collectors for as high as $150 each! A quick search of Ebay or other online collector’s book shops will bear this out.
After the 1960s he concentrated on non-fiction essays about human sexuality, often written under his own name. Throughout the 1970s he could frequently be found at various Southern California science fiction conventions as a participant in panel discussions on subjects like writing professional sci-fi or the complexities of human sexuality, or the slightly obvious, sex in science fiction… and often sharing the dais with such notables as Larry Niven, William Rotsler, Paul Turner or Theodore Sturgeon, to name just a few, all of whom he counted as friends.
In the 1990’s Jardine officially retired from writing. A talented artist and an avid student of computer animation he devoted much of his last years to producing experimental animations on his desktop computer, and living the leisurely ‘good life’ in beautiful Northern California.
His daughter, (who Jardine swore was conceived in the attic of the house of Forrest J Ackerman in which Jack and wife Julie were then temporarily living!) has announced plans to have the body cremated, but no official plans for a memorial have been set.
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He was born the same year as William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, among others.
He was cremated at Pierce Brothers Valhalla in North Hollywood.
cali.
I met Jack Jardine on a panel about sex with aliens and he followed me home afterward–literally–I lived intown. We remained lovers and close friends for decades. We threw parties together,including his daughter’s wedding, painted his house, attended cons, and even wrote a series of porn articles together that earned me almost as much as an s.f. novel once he finished rewriting and selling to eight different magazines over a couple of years.
His system for tracking what he had sold to which editor was ingenious and, before he got his Kaypro, occupied three poster boards. He believed if you couldn’t sell it at least six times it wasn’t worth writing.
He had more pseudonyms than Henry Kuttner and was more fun to be around than any five friends you could name.
I only spoke with him once after his stroke but he managed to proposition me and suggest a threesome with an old mutual friend. He was Jack to the end. I will miss him greatly.
I thank you for your kind thoughts for Dad. Mary, he loved you too.
Many people will try to say he was their friend. But you were his. He knew that until the end. Live long and prosper. He and 4E (if wrong about g-d) are hangin out again. That makes me smile. Miss him every day. Lucky he lives in his works. Trying to get some to screen. In honor of him. I thank you all….Sabra
Sabra,
I knew your mom and dad before you were born and used to change your diapers. I was saddened to hear of Jack’s passing and illness. But, like you, I’m pretty sure that he’s with Uncle Forry wherever they are.
The long, long card games that the three of us used to play, and the make-up your mom did for me at the Solarcon-West, not to mention your dad hypnotising me are great memories that I have kept all these years.
I left the sci-fi scene when you were just a baby, so I haven’t been in touch with anyone other than Forry for all these years.
Be well, Sabra, and enjoy all the amazing things I’m sure your parents gave you.
Jill Vuerhard-Varno-Taggart