Funeral services were pending Wednesday for Chet Cunningham, a highly prolific San Diego author and mentor to aspiring writers.
Cunningham, credited with writing well over 300 books, died Tuesday from complications from a fall. He was 87.
The longtime resident of the San Carlos neighborhood was equally adept at writing cowboy westerns, military thrillers and other men’s adventure stories. His novels always featured punchy titles that captured the tale in just a few words, such as “Texas Rustler’s Rampage,” “Vengeance Mine” and “Mardi Gras Massacre.”
One of his most personal works was nonfiction — the harrowing account of his older brother’s ordeal as a prisoner-of-war in Japan in “Hell Wouldn’t Stop.” The brother, Kenneth, was a Marine captured on Wake Island shortly after the U.S. entered the conflict.
Cunningham also published handbooks on how to deal with the effects of macular degeneration and sciatica, and how to optimize a car’s gas mileage.
He was born in Nebraska, raised in Oregon, served in the Army during the Korean War and became a newspaperman. His first novel was published in 1968.
The titles of his novels belied a genial manner. He welcomed numerous people with bestseller dreams and along the way formed a critique group that still meets twice monthly to support both established and aspiring authors.
“He showed us all how to live one’s life as a writer,” said Mark C. Jackson, a group member who recently celebrated publication of his debut novel, “An Eye for an Eye (The Tales of Zebadiah Creed).”
“If I had not met Chet Cunningham, I would still have a 5,000-word short story on my computer, instead of a nationally published book,” said Jackson, a Chula Vista-based singer/songwriter and longtime employee of Solar Turbines. “He was that significant.”
Cunningham also founded the San Diego Book Awards Association in 1994 to recognize local authors.
He is survived by daughter Christine Ashworth and son Greg. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rose Marie, and another son, Scott.
—City News Service
