The Shorthorn - BREAKING NEWS: Communication instructor dies Sunday: "Communication instructor George Proctor died Sunday after becoming ill last week, said communications studies chair Charla Markham Shaw. The cause of death has not been determined.
Kim Jones, journalism instructor and friend of Proctor and his wife, said he was hospitalized last week. Doctors ran tests but couldn't determine the cause of his sudden illness."
Thanks to James Reasoner for the link. I met George at the same AggieCon James did. James' comments on George are here.
9 comments:
knew George and Lana Proctor from the early 1970s when Tom Reamy revived Dallas Science Fiction fandom. I remember him, Buddy Saunders and Howard Waldrop were in that group. Sad day. I remember George and Bob Vardeman as collaborative writers and many wonder dinners and gab fests at Aggiecon in the 1970s and 1980s with them.
One odd thing, I know more of the old 1950s Dallas Futurians being alive than the later Dallas Science Fiction Society! Greg and Jim Benford, Dick Koogle , Lyndon Henry, and me, ....tho George Jennings (long time San Antonio radio personality died in early 2007),
Al Jackson
Thanks for the memories, Al.
I met George at a comic con room party in '72. We had a great talk and later on her wrote some nice things about me in a fanzine. I'm sorry to learn of his passing.
FT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM obit:
http://www.star-telegram.com/arlington_news/story/814504.html
UT-Arlington lecturer known for love of writing, horses
By MARK AGEE
rmagee@star-telegram.com
ARLINGTON — George Proctor was a "Renaissance cowboy" whose joys were horses, writing and writing about horses, friends say.
"He had a passion for everything," said Bob Vardeman of Albuquerque. "He was an endless well of enthusiasm."
Mr. Proctor, a senior lecturer in communications at the University of Texas at Arlington, died Sunday afternoon of an undetermined illness a few days after checking into a hospital. He was 61.
The Arlington resident was born in Lampasas and went to school in Gilmer, but he did most of his growing up at horse tracks around the country where his father trained thoroughbreds, said his wife, Lana Proctor.
Several of Mr. Proctor’s brothers also went into horse training, but he decided it was not for him, she said.
"He decided he didn’t want to be mucking stalls at 4 a.m.," Lana Proctor said.
He earned a journalism degree from Texas Tech University in 1969 and took a job at The Dallas Morning News reporting on police and the courts. He earned a reputation as a troublemaker around the courthouse, his wife said, before his love of horses and Texas history led him to fiction.
He became a prolific writer, publishing more than 90 books, mostly Western and science-fiction novels. He was nominated for several writing awards and was also an artist and had illustrations published in magazines.
"He grew bonsai trees. He built me a telescope for my birthday," Vardeman said. "I think he could do just about anything."
For the last 12 years, Mr. Proctor lectured at UTA in journalism, marketing, advertising and other subjects. He was also working on a master’s degree there.
More than 150 friends, relatives and former students crammed into a lecture hall Wednesday afternoon for a memorial service.
Many expressed shock at his quick passing. A slide show during the service included a picture of him under a sunset in the Florida Keys. It was taken 11 days earlier.
"He was healthy, happy and having a great time," Lana Proctor said.
Other survivors include sisters Mari Jo Holloway of Gilmer and Barbara Bomar of Flower Mound; brothers Hap Proctor of Ocala, Fla., and Tom Proctor of Louisville, Ky.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He grew bonsai trees. He built me a telescope for my birthday. I think he could do just about anything."
Friend Bob Vardeman
Thanks, Todd.
I'm going to re-read one of his books and perhaps my sadness will be eased by the fact that he's still here within his work.
I never got to know Geo personally as we developed a friendship online. He was a very active member of an old mailing list I ran called the GML (Graphics Mailing List).
Geo took a lot of personal time to write to several of us on the mailing list regarding topics centered around writing novels and how to get published. Over the years I had lost touch with him, do the the instability of internet mailing lists and a host of other things such as e-mail changes and what not.
I never truly got the chance to thank him for his efforts, and his tutalage. It is only this moment that I have learned of his passing and I am very saddened by the news.
Regardless, I need to say thank you Geo. You made a tremendous impact on my life and I am working hard on actually writing my first novel. I have all of your notes and the mentoring you provided me is invaluable.
God bless.
HP
Darngood brother-in law......
I recall flying to Texas for the very first time,and of no less, to meet the majority of all of my future inlaws to be.Just like in the movies, there they stood with a sign in hand that had my name on it...George and his beloved Lana.
Just as warm and friendly as anyone could ever possibly imagine!!!my flight arrived late in the night,&all the drive, George and Lana tried to prepare me for what was to come the following days agenda &who was who,
and what specific persons names were,and personality traits,etc.,including Aunt Daisy...
and I recall looking over towards the "always obvious in-love couple"
as if to say"did I get the name right?"looking for approval or correction...and George and/or Lana so graciously nodding their heads mosty generally yes,with a few no's.Looking back, I couldnot of asked,requested,or imagined a more perfect welcoming committee to the great state of Texas!!!
But that's not what made George a "darngood brother-inlaw.The above mentioned was the speciality icing on the cake.Hailing him as a great brotherinlaw came afterwards.
Being married to George's youngest brother Tom, and the sometimes pressure to win races that all horse trainers strive to achive,&more importantly if your last name was Proctor,and being the son of a famous coast to coast horse trainer named W.L.Proctor, Tom strived as a perfectionist always does,& when he needed to hear a caring voice that truely understood what the racing game was all about, once removed,my husband would be on the phone with his big brother, and within minutes, you ould hear ol'TP laughing & giggling like they were
still living under one and the same roof in their younger days growing up,.That's what made him a darn good brotherinlaw in my eyes, it was his never ending gift of giving,& relieving/calming my husband .But only until the next big race!!then the cycle took its course again!!He was the unspoken hero...God Bless and rest his soul...his first sister-inlaw,Alexis Proctor
Thanks for this post and for remembering George for us.
Post a Comment