Ardath Mayhar has passed away

Joe Lansdale is reporting that Ardath Mayhar has passed away. For those of you unfamiliar with her, she was the reigning empress of Texas SF writers. She was named SFWA Author Emeritus in 2008, one of the first media releases I wrote as SFWA publicity chair, and one of my happiest. I met her many years ago, so long ago, in fact, I can't really remember a time when I didn't know her. My first SF convention, Aggiecon 20, is the likely date. She was a fixture at many Aggiecons way back when, the gracious grandmother figure with knitting needles stuck through her bun of hair. To everyone in Texas science fiction circles, Ardath seemed eternal.


Ardath Mayhar and Neal Barrett, Jr.

She wrote many, many books. Too many for me to list here, but her SF Encyclopedia entry makes a pretty good starting point. She ran a bookstore in East Texas for many years with her late husband, and helped many writers over the years with advice and by teaching in workshops. Nobody who met her came away unimpressed. One of my fondest memories of her came in 2000, at Aggiecon again. Her health was declining, and her convention attendance was becoming sporadic. I hadn't seen her in several years, but this time, if I recall correctly, Joe Lansdale brought her along so she wouldn't have to drive. That year, Harlan Ellison was guest of honor, alongside Terry Pratchett. In between programming events, Ellison was sitting at a table in the MSC Ballroom, having a discussion with a handful of fans or writers or somesuch. I was sitting to the side, content simply to listen. Ardath wandered in right in the middle of the discussion, and the transformation that came over Ellison was immediate and dramatic. He dropped everything and literally doted on Ardath. He got her a seat, brought her into the conversation and went out of his way to defer to her. Ellison, for all his reputation and ego and every bad thing ever said about him, Knew Who She Was, and showed Ardath a magnificent amount of grace and respect. Ardath had that effect on people.

We are all diminished by her loss.