I remember meeting Sir Arthur C Clarke a couple of times in the eighties when he was still coming to Britain for signings and the like. He always seemed to me to be a gentleman. I think a few toasts in his memory will be raised this weekend.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7304004.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7304004.stm