McNELLY, Willis E(verett) 1920-2003

(Geoffrey Tabard)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born December 16, 1920, in Waupun, WI; died of mesothelomia April 7, 2003, in Fullerton, CA. Educator and author. McNelly was a well-known literary scholar who was often recognized for his efforts to have science fiction taken more seriously as a legitimate genre worthy of study. He completed his undergraduate study at the Central YMCA College in 1942, followed by a master's degree from Loyola University in 1948 and a doctorate from Northwestern University in 1957. His education was interrupted twice, by military service during World War II and the Korean War. McNelly's teaching career began at Loyola, where he was an English instructor while still attending graduate school; this was followed by six years as a high school teacher and department chair at Rich Township High School in Park Forest, Illinois, from 1952 to 1958. After his doctorate was completed, he joined the staff at Santa Ana College for three years before moving on to California State University at Fullerton in 1961. He remained there until his retirement as professor emeritus thirty-one years later. McNelly was widely recognized as an authority on such English and Irish authors as William Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, William Butler Yeats, and James Joyce, but his love for science fiction and writings about the genre also brought him much recognition. He became friends with such masters of sci-fi as Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, and Harlan Ellison, and was especially close to Frank Herbert. These connections aided him, too, in his endeavor to create a comprehensive science-fiction collection for his university's library, which now includes many rare and limited editions of classic works in the genre. In the classroom McNelly was much appreciated by students, faculty, and administrators alike, and he was consequently recognized as the Cal State Fullerton Teacher of the Year in 1976. McNelly, who also penned poetry under the pseudonym Geoffrey Tabard, also authored Science Fiction: The Academic Awakening (1974) as well as several edited works, including Mars, We Love You: Tales of Mars, Men, and Martians (1971; third edition, 1975), Science-Fiction Novellas (1976), and The Dune Encyclopedia (1984).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Reginald, Robert, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, 1975-1991, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1992.

PERIODICALS

Chronicle of Higher Education, April 25, 2003, p. A45.

ONLINE

California State University, Fullerton, News and Information,http://campusapps.fullerton.edu/news/ (April 10, 2003), "Literary Scholar Willis McNelly Dead at 82."

DuneNovels.com,http://www.dunenovels.com/ (June 4, 2003), "Dr. McNelly Dies."