Tribute: Dr. Howard Margolin

The voice of science fiction has gone silent.

I woke up today to the sad news that my friend, Dr. Howard Margolin, has passed away.  

Howard was the energetic and ebullient host of Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, a live radio program in Long Island, for 42 years, an incredible accomplishment, and one for which he was rightly proud.

Howard loved making radio, and he loved supporting artists, from writers and composers to editors, actors, and so on.  He loved everything about the genre, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

Howard was also never shy about shining a spotlight on young, upcoming, or outside talents, either.  In fact, he made a point of it. 

And for that, I am eternally gratefuly.

For example, Howard was an early and frequent supporter of my first web-series, The House Between (2004-2007), and he covered it on Destinies extensively (on 10/26/07, 1/16/08, and 1/16/09).  

Also, he covered Powys Media's Space:1999 books extensively, including my novel, The Whispering Sea (on 9/12/2014).  

In the busy modern landscape of media attention, this was no small thing. It was huge. Howard made a point of devoting time on Destinies to every aspect of the genre, and to authors who might not otherwise get to share their work, or the public's attention.

For more than 25 years, I guested on Howard's show. It was a live program, so being on Destinies always meant being up until midnight.  And then, after the show, Howard and I would talk for two or three hours beyond that, until the wee hours of the morning. He never got tired, he never lost his energy, he never stopped caring about what I was doing, or how my family was getting on.

My last appearance on Destinies was about Horror Films 2000s-2009s in 2023, I believe. 

I did not know then that it would be our last on-air conversation.  

But I do know this: Howard was the consummate professional. He read every book he talked about on the show, and he assiduously prepared brilliant questions for each show. So many interviewers simply don't do this. They don't read a book, or watch a show, or listen to an album...they just show up and ask stock questions. 

That was never Howard. The man was prepared like nobody's business.  He wanted to spotlight his guests, and afterwards, he always shared physical media of the interviews for my writer's archive.

Sometimes -- it's true -- Howard asked difficult or hard questions, or mentioned (on-air) if you made an error in fact, or even in editing. He was not just an entertainer, he was a competent journalist of great caliber, and therefore bound to the truth.

And, to me, he was also a dear friend. As I said, our friendship goes back to when...I had hair. (And a mullet; see above).

I will never forget our visit to Manhattan in 2000, for a Space:1999 convention.  Howard was with me and Kathryn when Kathryn saved Richard Hatch's life.  The actor had wandered out into a street, gesticulating wildly and talking passionately about Battlestar Galactica, and he didn't see a taxi coming. Kathryn pulled him back on the sidewalk, because Howard and I were engaged in our own passionate debate.

I also remember with fondness how Howard hosted me and Kathryn when we were guests at I-Con in 2004. He took us out to dinner, showed us the ropes at the convention, and hosted us on Destinies. That was the convention where I met Rod Roddenberry.

I last conversed with Howard via text last year, and again, I had no idea it would be our final exchange. 

I wish I had told him then how grateful I am for his support of my work over the years.  Over the decades.  

And I wish I had told him what a gift to the world, and to authors, Destinies: the Voice of Science Fiction has been.

Today is a triple loss -- to radio, to sci-fi, and to anyone who called Dr. Howard Margolin "friend."

Thank you, Howard, for a quarter century of laughs, and fun, and friendship. My deepest condolences to the Margolin family in this time of loss.