I didn't really want any more on this blog today about people dying but I can't let the passing of Fred Patten go without proper words here. Fred was a historian, writer and even for a time an importer of books about and examples of his areas of interest. They included comics, science-fiction, fantasy, manga and anime. He approached it all with the serious aim of research one might expect of someone with a master's degree in Library Science. He had one from U.C.L.A.
Fred was involved with the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society from 1960 on. He attended dozens of conventions, spoke on panels, and authored books and articles on the above topics, as well as fiction of his own creation. For a time, he and his friend Richard Kyle operated the Graphic Story Bookshop in Long Beach, California — perhaps the first store in this country to specialize in the import of comic art "albums" for an older audience.
He was among the founders of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, which was the first American society devoted to the pursuit and study of the form of Japanese animation known as anime. If you had a question in any of these areas, Fred either knew the answer to it or no one did. He also amassed an astounding collection and a few years ago, donated it to the J. Lloyd Eaton Collection at the University of California in Riverside.
Fred had been in poor health for some time, especially following a stroke in 2005. Refusing to let that stop him, he continued to write and attend conventions in a wheelchair…continued to pursue his passions and to learn every single thing he could about them and to share what he learned with the world. On November 1, he was found unresponsive and was rushed to a hospital but he never regained consciousness. He died this morning at the age of 77. Fred was one of the good guys.