Days of Future Past

In May of 2024, A. Joseph Ross ’67 returned to campus to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UMass Science Fiction Society, which he founded in 1964. The event was held on May 4 (known to fans everywhere as Star Wars Day—“May the fourth be with you!”).

Back in the 1960s, the club attracted some high-profile names in science fiction to speak on campus, including Isaac Asimov—legendary author of I, Robot—who visited in 1966. That same year, the club also hosted John W. Campbell, then editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine, who discovered and mentored Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Poul Anderson, and other great science fiction writers of the era.

Today, the club has one of the largest lending libraries on the East Coast, offering a wide range of speculative subgenres from classic science fiction and fantasy to horror, alternate history, and more. They also host game nights, movie nights, arts and crafts sessions, readings, and other events.

Now that the future is here—and the club is still thriving—Ross says, “I was really moved to see that what I started so long ago is still going strong and has meant so much to so many people.”