Science Fiction Fans Pay Tribute to Andre Norton

It has been ten years since we lost Andre Norton.  Her passing was not unexpected for she had been ill for quite some time, but it was a very hard emotional day for many of us.  I blacked out Xenite.Org to make sure that our thousands of daily visitors knew about Andre’s passing.  It was just a really hard day for me because my Andre fan sites were among the few she visited and said anything about.  I had met her on a few occasions though I would have been surprised had she recalled me with much clarity.  I once even spoke to her on the phone, when I was calling for a friend who was visiting Andre.  “Hello?” she said.  “Is Susan there?” I asked.  “Yes.  Please hold.”  Only after she put the phone down did I recognize her voice.

Andre was a special lady in so many ways.  She was a legend and an icon and an inspiration to generations of fans and authors.  But she was also a dear person who made her own tea, loved cats, and entertained friends and strangers.  She was always corresponding with someone and she was generous to a fault.  Her generosity spawned many small dramas but also helped to launch many writing careers, open doors that had been closed hard, and taught people not to accept the limits that society places upon them.

I don’t want to spoil the specialness of today’s tribute to Andre by creating my own.  Jay Watts, a frequent contributor to the SF-Fandom forums and the Webmaster for the largest Andre fan site (the only site to have earned special authorization from Andre’s estate), has put together a moving tribute from many of the people who knew and worked with Andre.

Please visit Andre-Norton-Books.com and remember Andre, for that is what she most wanted.  And also be sure to read “Fanus”, the newly released story that has never been published before.

If you are a member of the SF-Fandom forums, BookBug has started a tribute day thread here.  If you are not a member of the forums free registration is required before you can post.  All new members are moderated.  We apologize for the delay in giving you those privileges but Web spammers have become a serious problem demanding such drastic attention.