Benedict Paul Jablonski (March 18, 1917 – May 15, 2003),''Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2007'' also known as Ben Jason, was an American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

fan and booster who co-designed the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...

based on a

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

-shaped hood ornament from an

Oldsmobile 88 The Oldsmobile 88 (marketed from 1989 on as the Eighty Eight) is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry-level m ...

. He was also chairman of the 1966 World Science Fiction Convention in his hometown of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

at which

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer who created the science fiction series and fictional universe ''Star Trek.'' Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up ...

previewed the two-hour pilot of his new series, ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'', for science fiction fans. Jablonski was the son of Polish immigrants Stanislaw Jablonski and Helen Szymanski.''1920 United States Federal Census'' He died in

Brunswick, Ohio Brunswick ( or ) is the largest city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. The population was 35,426 at the 2020 census. It is approximately southwest of Cleveland and part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History Brunswick was founded ...

at the age of 86.

References

1917 births 2003 deaths People from Cleveland American people of Polish descent {{US-bio-stub