George Edward Pendray

George Edward Pendray (May 19, 1901 – September 15, 1987) was an American public relations counselor, author, foundation executive, and founder of the American Interplanetary Society.

George Edward Pendray
G.E. Pendray with rocket fueling device (1932)
Born(1901-05-19)May 19, 1901
Omaha, Nebraska
DiedSeptember 15, 1987 (1987-09-16) (aged 86)
Cranbury, New Jersey
Occupations
  • Public relations counsel
  • author
  • rocketeer
  • business executive
Known forpublic relations, "time capsule"
SpouseLeatrice M. Gregory
Childrenthree
ParentJohn Hall Pendray / Louisa (Wolfe)
Westinghouse "time capsule" (1939)

Personal life

Leatrice May Gregory (1905–1971), Pendray's first wife, was born in Colorado City, Texas, and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1927, where she met Pendray. She was a syndicated newspaper columnist, from 1929 to 1944, and a partner with her husband in a public relations firm, Pendray & Company, from 1945 to 1970.[1] In 1930 she was one of the twelve founders of the American Interplanetary Society and participated in its rocket experiments.[2][3] The successor of that early organization is the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which awards a Leatrice Gregory Pendray Scholarship to women undergraduates in science and engineering programs.[4] A daughter, Guenever Lee Knapp (1932–1978), was one of the geologists who tested lunar samples at Princeton University.[5][6]

Pendray's first had worked for the public schools of Absecon, New Jersey, as a music supervisor, before retiring.[7] A resident of Jamesburg, New Jersey, Pendray died in Cranbury, New Jersey in 1987 at the age of 86.[8] Surviving were his second wife, two daughters, two step-daughters, a brother, two sisters, ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.[9]

Work
"Gawain Edwards" as depicted in Wonder Stories in 1931

Pendray sometimes used the pen name "Gawain Edwards"; however, he usually wrote under his own name. He wrote articles and fiction for many magazines. Amazing Stories praised Edward's The Earth Tube as "vividly and plausibly written," recommending it "to all lovers of scientific fiction".[10]

  • The Earth Tube, 1929
  • A Rescue From Jupiter, 1932
  • Men, Mirrors and Stars, 1935
  • Book of Record of the Time Capsule, 1938
  • City Noise, 1940; with Esther Goddard
  • The Coming Age of Rocket Power, 1945
  • Rocket Development 1948; co-editors Robert Goddard and Esther Goddard.
  • The Guggenheim Medalists, 1964
  • The Papers of Robert H. Goddard, 3 volumes, 1970; co-edited with Esther Goddard.

See also

References
  1. "Leatrice Pendray, Former Columnist (obituary)". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. 7 October 1971.
  2. Winter, Frank H. (1983). "Chapter 6. The American Rocket Society". Prelude to the space age. Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 73. doi:10.5479/sil.176965.39088000767079.
  3. Cook, Winifred I. (6 April 1969). "Rossmoor Couple Helped Launch Rocket Program". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. p. 38.
  4. "Scholarships & Graduate Awards". American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
  5. Collins, Tutty (20 July 1969). "Rocket Pioneers Watch Moon Landing From Lusk". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyoming. p. 19.
  6. "Guenever Knapp, 46, of Montgomery (obituary)". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. 23 December 1978. p. 11.
  7. Warren, Virginia Lee (31 March 1973). "Wedding bells still ring for the elderly". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. New York Times News Service. p. 42.
  8. Neuffer, Elizabeth. "G. E. Pendray, 86, rocket proponent", The New York Times, September 20, 1987. Accessed January 30, 2013. "G. Edward Pendray, a proponent of the peaceful uses of rocket power and space flight since the 1930s, died of complications from Parkinson's disease Tuesday. He was 86 years old and lived in Jamesburg, N.J."
  9. "Obituaries / G. Edward Pendray, 86, expert on science and public relations". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. September 10, 1987 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  10. "In The Realm of Books", Amazing Stories, December 1929, p.862

Bibliography
  • Who Was Who in America, Vol. 9 (1985–1989), p. 280. Chicago: Marquis, "Pendray, George Edward"
  • New York Times Biographical Service, September 1987, p. 958
  • Contemporary Authors, vol. 123 (1988), p. 299
  • Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993), p. 919-920
  • Collier's magazine, September 7, 1946, p. 89
  • Onion, Rebecca (2016). Innocent Experiments. University of North Carolina Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-469629483.
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