Bio:John Vorhies

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Regarding this John Vorhies conundrum, there is definitely confusion between two people of that same name and middle initial and the solution depends on what that middle name is. Do I take it that the full name of John Royal Harris VORHIES comes from Rob Reginald's attribution? If that really is the right Vorhies, then he was: Born: Dallas, TX: 25 March 1920 [Yes, 1920, which is what Rob Reginald has and confirmed by the US Public Records Index] Died: Dallas, TX: 6 April 1993 [as for SSDI and Texas Death Index] He is listed in the 1940 Census as a 'Grader of Papers' at the State University. Seems rather young to be doing that, but that's what it says. Reginald says he went on to become a lawyer, and indeed there is a John R. VORHIES listed in the State Bar of Texas as deceased but who took his licence to practice on 20 April 1944 Now, the other geezer is John Robert VORHIES, and he was: Born: Noble, Ohio: 28 December 1924 Died: Canton, Ohio: 21 July 1975 (as per most references, but 20 July in just one). He was still a student in the 1940 census so can't learn much about him. However, we do find that he enlisted in the US Army in May 1943 as a Private and also served as a Tec 5 (technician, grade 5 I presume). On his army enlistment record he's shown as a farmer. Now, there is someone with the full name John Royal Harris VORHIES, but he's neither of these. He's a doctor in Dallas where he was born on 13 August 1945. I suspect he's the son of our first chap. Here's what a medical website says about him: "Dr. John Royal Harris Vorhies specializes in internal medicine in Dallas area. Dr. John Royal Harris Vorhies has a medical practice at 8215 Westchester Drive, Suite 225, Dallas TX, and has over 45 years of experience in the field of medicine. He graduated from University Of Texas Southwestern Medical School At Dallas with his medical degree in 1972. He is affiliated with numerous hospitals, including Baylor University Medical Center and more. Dr. Vorhies is accepting new patients at his medical office and practice location in Dallas, Texas. He is available for appointments, preventative care, medical care as well as ongoing patient care." So, the dates you have in SFE3 relate to John Robert Vorhies, and the question is, which one wrote Pre-Empt? Well, I don't have the book and have never read it (though I see Budrys thought it was excellent) but I would not doubt Rob Reginald. I know that in getting his data he sent questionnaires to all living writers, and the nature of the data he has suggests the chap responded. So my money's on the Texas guy, dated 1920-1993, and not the Ohio chap. I don't know whether the Ohio guy returned to being a farmer after the War but if he did I can't imagine he was able to get the depth of data which I gather is in PRE-EMPT, whereas a Dallas lawyer would be more likely. I've been trying to find an interview with the author online, or an obituary, hoping it would give more details, but nothing yet. -David Langford