I have recently received word that the founder of Trantor 2, Ken Unferth, died on March 19 of esophageal cancer. He was 38 years old. Ken posted here as "jkennyu" and sometimes as "Igrockit" on other Yahoo boards.

He is survived by his parents, both of whom took time in their grief to send me this news in response to an e-mail inquiry I had sent, and
by his two sisters.

He and I knew each other only from the internet, but our relationship had been long and close. We shared a remarkably wide range of interests and viewpoints.

I first encountered him in 1998 on the Skeptic Friends Network (http://www.skepticfriends.org), where he was a regular poster and a frequent participant in the chat room. He and I began to exchange instant messages several times a week.

A mutual interest in spaceflight and nuclear power led us to the old Yahoo Project Orion Club, where we both became co-founders.

He and I collaborated on the rebuttal of Fox TV's Moon Hoax show in early 2001, an effort that eventually led to my local Fox affiliate giving me the opportunity to offer an on-air rebuttal directly after a re-run of the program (the only such rebuttal to have been broadcast by a Fox affiliate).

Later, after the 9-11 attacks, a major schism developed at Skeptic Friends Network between those who supported the war; including Ken and myself; and those who did not. The latter were unfortunately in the majority, so we moved on to other venues.

Trantor 2 is named for a BB Ken ran back in the stone age of online computing, the 1980s. The ultimate source for this name was the Imperial capital in Isaac Isamov's legendary Foundation series. It has been inactive since 2002, but, as the only remaining moderator, I would like to revive it and keep it going.

Ken was a great science fiction fan, as his choice of names would indicate. His insights and knowledge were a real help to me in my efforts to write SF. His parents have given me permission to dedicate my most recent story to his memory.

He had followed the Cassini program since its inception. He didn't live to see its triumphant arrival in the Saturn system last week, but he would have known that it was unstoppable and that it would succeed.

Professionally, he was a teacher of young children, a very special person indeed. He was also a stage magician and was well-known for his magic shows in the Phoenix area.

I regret that I did not know him better.
The world is a poorer place for his loss, and I am poorer still.