Dan Alderson

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Daniel John "Dan" Alderson (October 31, 1941 – 1989) was a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, and a prominent participant in science fiction fandom. He came from a poor family and had diabetes. A high school science fair project on the gravitational fields of non-spherical bodies won him a college scholarship and a job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

A member of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, an Official Editor of the comic book APA CAPA-alpha, and an early member of gaming fandom, he came into contact with a number of science fiction writers, notably Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, who, in their books, credit Dan Alderson with ideas that inspired some of their science fiction, notably the Alderson Drive and the Alderson Disk. As "Dan Forrestal" he is a prominent character in Lucifer's Hammer.

Alderson did not write science fiction himself, but for his own amusement created the imaginary planet of Wibblefubwilda, a planet where everyone gets his heart's desire. He died at an early age from complications of diabetes. He is remembered as a patron saint of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, which honors his memory with a parking space reserved in his name in front of their clubhouse.