Hall of Fame Inductees announced

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (SFM) has announced its inductees for 2006’s Hall of Fame celebration. George Lucas, Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, and Frank Kelly Freas will all be honored during SFM’s annual induction ceremony at the museum on June 17th. Best-selling British writer Neil Gaiman will host the evening’s events.

The induction ceremony is part of a weekend program of related events at SFM including the Locus Magazine Awards, MCed by superstar science fiction author Connie Willis. A new display featuring personal artifacts and video footage from each inductee will be added to the existing Hall of Fame exhibit.

Founded in 1996, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame honours the lives, work and ongoing legacies of science fiction’s greatest creators. Nominations for induction are submitted by Science Fiction Museum members. The final inductees are chosen by a panel of award-winning science fiction creators.

“It is a great pleasure to induct such a remarkable array of honorees who have each left indelible impressions in the field of science fiction,” explains EMP/SFM Artistic Director Bob Santelli. “We’re also grateful for the support and consideration from our membership and induction committee.”

Nominees are accepted in the following four categories, representing the diversity of science fiction creativity:

Film, Television and Media:
Having created one of the all-time most popular science fiction movie franchises, it seemed only fitting that George Lucas, writer, producer and special effects pioneer, be inducted for his contributions to filmmaking. In addition to the Star Wars series, Lucas created the often overlooked THX-1138, the Indiana Jones series and the altogether forgettable comic-book adaptation, Howard the Duck. His contributions to special effects and digital filmmaking have been consistently recognised by numerous industry awards.

Literature:
The author of the Dune saga, one of science fiction’s most prized literary works, as well as nearly 30 other books, the late Frank Herbert will always be celebrated as a visionary writer who seamlessly and elegantly melded themes of human survival, religion and politics into his work. Dune was adapted for the big screen by David Lynch in the 1984, and more successfully as a SCI FI Channel miniseries in 2000.

Art:
With a career spanning more than fifty years, the late Frank Kelly Freas will always be seen as the “Dean of Science Fiction Artists.” Having painted hundreds of book covers through the latter half of the 20th Century, this ten-time Hugo Award winner (the first to achieve that number) also contributed illustrations for NASA missions, numerous advertising campaigns and album covers such as Queen’s News of the World.

Open:
Anne McCaffrey was the first female author to win a Hugo Award for a work of fiction and in 2005 was named the 22nd Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. Best known for The Dragonriders of Pern and its sequels, McCaffrey has also penned more than 100 best-sellers including Crystal Singer and The Ship Who Sang. Currently residing in Ireland, Anne McCaffrey celebrates her 80th birthday this year.

McCaffrey said, “I’m delighted to be put in the same company as Andre Norton, Gordie Dickson and Isaac Asimov,” when she heard of her forthcoming induction. “I never thought it could happen, since I’ve admired all three as stars in the fundament of our genre.”

Sci-Fi-London’s own awards will be announced during the upcoming festival, with an expanded number of categories.