Irving E. Cox Jr.

Born in Philadelphia on May 24, 1917, Irving England Cox Jr. grew up in Quaker schools and later earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Whittier College. He spent much of his career teaching sociology, psychology, and English, including at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, where former students remembered him as an inspiring and unconventional teacher.

Cox published numerous short stories from 1951 through 1965, with most appearing in science-fiction magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, and Science Fiction Stories. He also wrote crime and mystery fiction, drawing on his experiences and observations of people and places across the United States.

His only known novel, Murder Among Friends, appeared in 1956. Cox remained in Long Beach for much of his life and died there on February 13, 2001, at the age of 83.