Howard DeVore

Howard DeVore

Howard DeVore was born on May 26th, 1925. Howard passed away December 31st, 2005 at 80 years old. Howard DeVore was born in Palestine, IL, United States.

Howard DeVore was a science fiction collector, archivist, dealer, expert on pulp magazines and fanzines, an APA writer, an active volunteer in science fiction fandom, and a convention organizer.

Howard was born in Palestine, Illinois, on May 26, 1925. His family moved to Detroit when Howard was 6 months old. They returned to Illinois in 1930 due to the Great Depression. Howard lived on a series of farms, attending this one-room schoolhouse. Howard’s dad made a living by any means necessary, including stealing coal and making moonshine.

The family moved back to Detroit in 1934, and Howard dropped out of school when he was 16 so that he could begin working. He worked in different construction trades, at auto factories, and for the United States Postal Service for 22 years.

Beginning in around 1938, he accumulated an extensive collection of fannish culture and sci-fi-related artifacts and publications.

He was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress, flying bomb runs over France with the Eighth Air Force during World War II.

While his health declined in his later years, he donated the majority of his collection, including original and electronic copies, to various science fiction-themed archives.

Howard and his wife, Sybil, had three daughters: Cheryl, Karol, and Suzanne. They had five grandkids (Ian, Jesse, Julie, Sarah, and Jillian) and 2 great-grandkids (James and Casey).

The Hugo, The Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards includes historical and introductory essays that explain how every award got started and how winners and nominees were picked, plus commentary in the yearly listings. Sci-fi fans have voted for the Hugo Awards for best science fiction for nearly every year since 1953. Science fiction professionals have presented the Nebula Awards to their peers since 1965. Throughout this time, lists of winners have been widely available; however, losers have generally been ignored.

In 1970, Howard, a long-time fan, began publishing a complete list of Nebula and Hugo Awards, including the stories that were nominated but did not win. The fact that these stories were nominated implied that they had considerable merit.

The International Fantasy Awards might have inspired the Hugos, so he included them. Howard published and distributed new editions every year, with the help of several devoted sci-fi fans.

By 1998, the task grew to the point where he happily relinquished the job to Advent.

Howard DeVore: Awards & Accolades

DeVore's book, The Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards was nominated for the Hugo Award, Best Related Work, in 1999.

Howard DeVore: F.A.Q