# Is Robert C. Truax still alive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595 "2007-07-29T16:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/1 "2007-07-29T16:20:58Z")
The Wiki page says ‘(1918 - ?)’, which suggests that the author does not know if Truax is still alive. It also says he ‘is now married to Marisol Truax’, which implies that he is still alive. Where is he now? ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/2 "2007-07-29T19:11:20Z")
I was a big Truax worshipper when I was a kid, having seen him on the TV show ‘Real People’ and in an article in Omni magazine. I looked up his number and and called him up. I got the answering machine and left a message and, believe it or not, he actually called me back! We talked about rocketry for maybe 20 or 30 minutes (well, he did most of the talking, I was too starstruck to say much of anything intelligible :)). Anyway a year or two later while visiting my dad in California I went down and visited Bob at his rocket headquarters (actually his two car garage), which held various engines, test equipment, machinery etc. He took pity on me and let me hang around the place in sorta a gopher/intern/fanboy position over the summer. I haven’t talked with him in many years, but apparently he’s still alive, however not in the best of health. [This thread](http://collectspace.com/ubb/Forum34/HTML/000094.html) form [collectspace.com](http://collectspace.com) indicates that the Discovery Channel is doing a documentary about him to be aired later this year or early next year. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/3 "2007-07-30T02:46:08Z")
The [Dead People Server](http://216.92.255.170/dps/tnames.html#top) does not mention him, alive or dead. Since the dpsinfo guy tracks obits, that suggests, (does not prove), that Mr. Truax has not yet died. Dropping “robert c truax obituary” into Google™ dos not turn up anything on the first couple of pages. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/4 "2007-07-30T14:25:34Z")
[QUOTE=Santos L Halper] I haven’t talked with him in many years… [/QUOTE] Well if you do, let him know people remember him. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/5 "2010-09-26T18:04:40Z")
Hope this isn’t an unacceptable bump (especially since it’s probably only of interest to **Johnny** and me), but I’ve just learned that Bob Truax passed away a few days ago at the age of 93: > [@](#): > > AIAA MOURNS THE DEATH OF CAPT. ROBERT C. TRUAX > Key Figure in Modern Rocket History Was Prominent Advocate of Manned Spaceflight > > The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) mourns the death of Capt. Robert C. Truax, past president of the American Rocket Society, organizer of the U.S. Naval Missile Test Center’s propulsion research laboratory at Point Mugu, Calif., and AIAA Honorary Fellow. Capt. Truax passed away in Vista, Calif., on September 17, 2010. He was 93. > > AIAA President Mark J. Lewis stated: “We mourn the passing of Capt. Robert C. Truax, whose contributions to the field of propulsion made many of today’s systems possible. From his early work on Jet Assisted Take Off (JATO) systems and development of hypergolic fuels, leadership efforts on the Thor, Viking, and Polaris missiles, and later founding of his own company, Truax was an integral part of modern rocket history. He also had a more whimsical side, including work with motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel to develop a steam powered ‘Skycycle’ for an attempted jump of the Snake River Canyon. > > Robert Truax was a past president of the American Rocket Society (one of the precursor organizations from which AIAA was founded), and an honorary Fellow of AIAA. While we are all saddened by his loss, we salute his many contributions to our nation’s development of rocket systems for commerce, defense, and entertainment purposes.” > > In addition to his accomplishments in the field of rocket propulsion and weapon systems, Truax was a tireless and prominent advocate for manned spaceflight, urging the United States government to purse a manned spaceflight program. For his technical accomplishments and his advocacy, Truax was presented the 1951 Robert H. Goddard Memorial Award by the American Rocket Society. In 1957 Truax became president of the American Rocket Society, which he had previously chided for not taking the concept of manned space exploration seriously enough. Truax was actively involved in rocket development through the final years of his life, working as recently as 2008 on the development of the “SkyLimo” steam powered rocket for showman Michael “Mad Mike” Hughes. His family has set up a [facebook page](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-Truax/126662220719426) where some of the various people that knew him have posted photos and memories of Bob. [A longer obituary can be found here](http://www.hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=23801). Robert Truax was one of a kind. Brilliant and dedicated to advancing mankind into space, he none-the-less never took himself too seriously. He had a great sense of humor and was always ready to share a funny quip or story about his fascinating career. It’s only recently that we’re seeing the possibility of cheaper and more widespread access to space, something the Bob had been advocating and working towards since the 1960’s. The time I spent with him was a highlight of my life and I’m greatly saddened by his passing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/6 "2010-09-26T19:07:49Z")
I knew who he was just from the thread title. RIP ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/7 "2010-09-26T19:43:02Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > It’s only recently that we’re seeing the possibility of cheaper and more widespread access to space, something the Bob had been advocating and working towards since the 1960’s. Sad to hear. But he had a good run, and he lived to see the beginnings of private space flight. Edit: I corrected his date of death on the Wiki page (they had the 21st), and added his date of birth (3 September – the year had previously been corrected). . ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/8 "2010-09-27T05:57:33Z")
Sorry for the hijack but my first thought was that Truax Field (Dane County Wisconsin Regional Airport - Madison, Wisconsin) was named after Robert Truax but not so according to Wikipedia: > **[Dane County Regional Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dane_County_Regional_Airport)** > > Dane County Regional Airport (DCRA) (IATA: MSN, ICAO: KMSN, FAA LID: MSN), also known as Truax Field, is a civil-military airport located 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) northeast of downtown Madison, Wisconsin. In the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027, it is one of 2 airports in Wisconsin that is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility; the other is Appleton International Airport. It is the second busiest In ... ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/9 "2010-09-27T12:50:06Z")
They really ought to shoot Truax’s ashes into space. That would be the karmically right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-robert-c-truax-still-alive/413595/10 "2023-11-12T02:43:46Z")
One more bump of this old thread because I recently read Truax’s autobiography, **‘American Rocketman’**. It was a very engaging book, and Bob lived a fascinating life. He covers nearly all the way until the end of his life, with his son providing an epilogue to wrap things up. He was an entertaining storyteller when I knew him, and he is throughout the book as well. As interesting as the rocketry portions of his story are, the rest of his life are every bit as enjoyable. As a child He literally lived in a log cabin built by his father in the remote woods of northern California.