Many fans of 1960s sci-fi stories recognize the author name, Hayden Howard, listed in the The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. These 5 personal facts about him may surprise you.

Hayden wrote a Nebula Award-nominated novel, and over fifty short stories. Dozens were published in vintage SF magazines, while others were in mystery and sea story magazines.

More details about Hayden’s writing is on my 1960s Sci-Fi: Hayden Howard page, where I’ll add links to more posts about vintage science fiction. A short biography of him is at Wikipedia under Hayden Howard. However, you’ll learn much more about him here, since I knew him well the last 25 years of his life.

5 Little-Known facts about Hayden’s life between 1989 and-2014

1. John Hayden Howard went by the name Jack. He was a bachelor until age 64, until 1989, when he met the love of his life. He met Jill on a boat trip to Catalina Island (and yes, they were Jack and Jill). He was thrilled to meet that young widow, a South American arts importer and mother of four grown kids. He was delighted to find a woman to go boogie-boarding with him.
2. Jack was not only an esteemed writer, but a loving caregiver. Jill had a cerebral hemorrhage at age 59, making her wheelchair-bound their following 22 years together. But she retained her quick mind, sense of humor, and guts. He walked and she rolled down the aisle. They traveled internationally despite her chair. Jack boasted about how Jill got out of that chair to swim with manta rays and dolphins. He adored his wife until he died at age 88.
3. Jack also had a marvelous sense of humor. He abounded in creativity in more than just writing. He and Jill played harps and entertained grandchildren with puppets, drums and bubbles. He loved being Grandpa Jack. (54-year-old Jill had looked at him askew when he jokingly asked if she wanted to have babies with him, so he went all-in with grandkids.)
4. He was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. However, at ages 26-27 he lived in Florida. He wrote some of his most creative stories when he lived in St. Augustine, in a now-historic home near the oldest street, in the oldest town in America. Ironically I now live within 13 miles of there, so can’t resist driving by it often, imagining him scribbling and tap-tapping away.
5. In his later years, after writing science fiction, sea stories, detective stories and other fiction, he turned to writing poetry. At about age 85, he and a group of other Santa Barbara poets published a book of poems, featured in the Santa Barbara News-Press. His best poetry, however, were his love poems to Jill.