Fan, writer, and aspiring actor Jim Young died 12 June 2012 of complications from a glioblastoma (brain tumor). Born James Maxwell Young in 1951, he has emergency surgery on 5 June, but never regained consciousness. His family posted updates on his last few days on CaringBridge. [The photo of Young at the 1993 World SF Convention, Confrancisco is copyright © by Andrew I. Porter.]
He published two novels, The Face of the Deep (Pocket, 1979) and Armed Memory (Tor, 1995), as well as some shorter pieces (most recently, “The Whirlwind”, which appeared in F&SF last year).
Outside of sf, he was a career Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State, and for a time was the US Coordinator for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). After retiring from the diplomatic life, he moved into acting, appearing in several shorts, and as Adolf Hitler in this year’s direct-to-video Nazis at the Center of the Earth.
Young’s family has planned a memorial service for Friday 22 June at 2:30PM, with a reception to follow. The service will be at:
Fridley United Methodist Church
680 Mississippi
Fridley, Minnesota 55432
They’re also planning one for sometime in July in California. More information here when details are finalized.
The family also request that “memorials may be made to the CaringBridge—this website has been so valuable in being able to share information and serve as a ‘meeting place’ for Jim’s friends and family during this difficult time.”