Arthur C Clarke meant a lot to me as a kid. Not just books like "Childhood's End" or "Rendezvous With Rama," but really cool stuff like his "Mysterious Universe" show.
The guy invented communications satellites. Enlightened the world with Kubrick with 2001. And showed a little kid in small town Alberta that there's a whole universe out there.
http://trekmovie.com/2008/03/18/rip-arthur-c-clarke/
