Jim Harmon

Born James Judson Harmon in Mount Carmel, Illinois, in 1933, he became known as Jim Harmon and built a career that moved easily between fiction and cultural history. He began publishing science fiction professionally in the 1950s, with stories appearing in magazines such as Galaxy, If, and other leading genre venues of the time.

He later became especially admired for his work on the Golden Age of Radio. His book The Great Radio Heroes helped make him a respected historian of classic broadcasting, and his writing earned him the nickname "Mr. Nostalgia" for the enthusiasm and detail he brought to popular culture.

Harmon died in Los Angeles on February 16, 2010, at age 76. He is remembered both as a prolific short-story writer and as one of the people who helped preserve the history of radio, serial storytelling, and mid-century American entertainment.