Drs. Diane ’88 and John Hurtado ’91 ’95 share a common interest in all things related to science fiction, fantasy and space. As aerospace engineering graduates who have served The Texas A&M University System in multiple leadership positions, they believe that science fiction stimulates an imaginative way of thinking about the future of science and technology.
The couple’s like-minded passion inspired them to create Cushing Memorial Library and Archive’s first endowment to explicitly support its Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection. “We love libraries and believe them to be culturally significant,” Diane explained, “and we want to make sure Cushing can further preserve and add to its collection.”
Launched in 1926, Amazing Stories is the first American magazine devoted solely to science fiction, which helped define a new genre of pulp fiction. Original copies are housed in Cushing’s sci-fi and fantasy collection along with other well-known books and artifacts that reflect the genre.
Cushing has maintained a focus on its sci-fi and fantasy collection since the mid-1970s, and today, it is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. It holds thousands of books ranging from 17th-century works of proto-science fiction to recent titles, as well as serials, American pulp magazines, and a growing number of archival collections from authors and other creators.
Funds from the endowment will support the acquisition and preservation of materials as well as highlighting the collection through exhibits.
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