Robert Jerome Serling (born Jerome Robert Serling;[4] March 28, 1918 – May 6, 2010) was an American novelist and aviation writer.
Robert J. Serling | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jerome Robert Serling 28 March 1918 Cortland, New York, U.S. |
| Died | 6 May 2010 (aged 92) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lake View Cemetery Interlaken, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, writer |
| Genre | Non-fiction, historical fiction, aviation stories |
| Years active | 1945–2008[1] |
| Notable works | The President's Plane Is Missing |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Rod Serling (brother) |
Biography
editBorn in Cortland, New York and raised in Binghamton, Serling graduated from Antioch College in 1942.[5] He "deplored the name Jerome" and swapped his first and middle names as a young man.[4] He was the older brother of screenwriter and The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling.[6]
Serling became full-time aviation editor for United Press International in 1960. He wrote at least eight novels and sixteen books of nonfiction. His novel The President's Plane Is Missing was made into a 1973 made-for-TV film starring Buddy Ebsen. He received the 1988 Lauren D. Lyman Award "for distinguished achievement in the field of aviation and aerospace journalism."[7]
He had two children with his second wife, Priscilla Arone, a former Western Airlines stewardess. His daughter Jennifer is a veterinary technician.[4]
Serling died of pancreatic cancer on May 6, 2010, at age 92 in Tucson, Arizona. He is buried beside his second wife, Priscilla Arone Serling, brother Rod Serling, and sister-in-law Carol Serling at Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, New York.[4][8][9][10][11]
Fiction
edit| Title | Published | ISBNs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Left Seat | Doubleday, 1966 | Paperback: Popular Library, 1966 | |
| The President's Plane Is Missing | Doubleday, 1967 | Paperback: Dell, 1968 | |
| She'll Never Get off the Ground | Doubleday, 1971 | Paperback: Dell, 1972 | |
| McDermott's Sky | Laurel Group, 1977 | 0930392000, 9780930392000 | Paperback: Pocket Books, 1980 |
| Wings | Dial Press, 1978 | 0803795920, 9780803795921 | Paperback: New American Library, 1979 |
| Stewardess | St. Martin's, 1982 | 0312761937, 9780312761936 | Paperback: New American Library, 1984 |
| Air Force One Is Haunted | St. Martin's, 1985 | 0312015348, 9780312015343 | Sequel to The President's Plane Is Missing, again featuring President Haines |
| Something's Alive on the Titanic | St. Martin's, 1990 | 031205159X, 9780312051594 | Paperback: St. Martin's, 1993 |
Non-fiction
edit| Title | Published | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Probable Cause: The Truth About Air Travel Today | Doubleday & Co., 1960 | Library of Congress 60-15194 | Paperback: Ballantine Books, 1964 |
| The Electra Story | Doubleday & Co., 1963 | Library of Congress 63-7715 | Paperback: Bantam Books, 1991 |
| Loud and Clear: The Full Answer to Aviation's Vital Question – Are the Jets Really Safe? | Doubleday & Co., 1969 | Paperback: Dell, 1970 | |
| Birth of an Industry: A Nostalgic Collection of Airline Schedules for the Years 1929 to 1939 (in facsimile) | R. H. Donnelly, 1969 | ||
| Ceiling Unlimited: The Story of North Central Airlines | Walsworth Publishing, 1973 | LCCN 73090730 | |
| Little Giant: The Story of Gates LearJet | Serling, 1974 | ||
| Maverick: The Story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines | Doubleday & Co., 1974 | 0385040571, 9780385040570 | |
| The Only Way to Fly: The Story of Western Airlines, America's Senior Air Carrier | Doubleday & Co., 1976 | 0385013426, 9780385013420 | |
| The Jet Age | Time-Life Books, 1978 | 9780809433636, 9780809433629 | Series: "The Epic of Flight" |
| From the Captain to the Colonel: An Informal History of Eastern Airlines | Dial Press, 1980 | 0803746105, 9780803746107 | |
| Howard Hughes' Airline: An Informal History of TWA | St. Martin's Press, 1983 | 0312396317, 9780312396312 | |
| Eagle: The Story of American Airlines | St. Martin's Press, 1985 | 0312224532, 9780312224530 | |
| Countdown: An Autobiography | Silver Arrow, 1988 | 0-688-07929-6, 9780688079291 | co-authored with Frank Borman |
| Legend and Legacy: The Story of Boeing and Its People | St. Martin's Press, 1992 | 031205890X 9780312058906 | |
| When the Airlines Went to War | Kensington Books, 1997 | 1575662469, 9781575662466 | |
| Steel Rails and Silver Wings: The Lindbergh Line to the Birth of TWA | Weekend Chief Pub., 2006 | 0961281499, 9780961281496 | co-authored with George H. Foster |
| Character and Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines | Documentary Media, 2008 | 9781933245119 |
Career
edit- Was a United Press International, Washington, DC, reporter and manager of Radio News Division, 1945–60, aviation editor, 1960–66; air safety lecturer and consultant, beginning 1966.
- Received numerous honors of his work throughout his career: Trans-World Airlines, seven awards, 1958–65, for aviation news reporting, Strebig-Dobben Memorial Award, 1960; special citations from Sherman Fairchild Foundation, 1963, Flight Safety Foundation, 1970, and Airline Pilots Association, 1970; Aviation/Space Writers Association, James Trebig Memorial Award, 1964, special citation, 1967, award in fiction, 1966, for The Left Seat, and in nonfiction, 1969, for Loud and Clear.
- Collected commercial airline models (more than four hundred during his life) and material on aviation research.
- Member of the Society of Air Safety Investigators and the Aviation/Space Writers Association
- Brother Rod Serling hired him as a technical consultant (for which he received on-screen credit) for the airplane sequences in the episode "The Odyssey of Flight 33" of his hit TV-show The Twilight Zone. Robert Serling also received advisor or researcher credits on two other Rod Serling scripts: one each for scripts penned for Studio One and Playhouse 90.
- Something's Alive on the Titanic and The President's Plane Is Missing are fantasy novels set in real life high-profile backdrops.
- Was a reporter for the Washington Redskins. Travelled with the team and roomed with quarterback Eddie LeBaron.
- He was a very devout conservative Republican, in contrast to his brother’s liberal Democratic stance.
- Authored the short story "Ghost Writer" published in Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary.
- In 2008, was featured speaker at the 32nd annual Airliners International collectibles show and convention in Dallas, Texas.[12]
References
edit- ^ Dennis McLellan (May 20, 2010). "Robert J. Serling dies at 92; one of the nation's top aviation writers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Robert J. Serling dies at 92; one of the nation’s top aviation writers by Dennis McClellan, May 20, 2010, Retrieved Sep. 4, 2019.
- ^ The Washington Post, Robert Serling (obituary), May 12, 2010, Retrieved Sep. 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Fox, Margalit (May 18, 2010). "Robert J. Serling, Aviation Writer, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Robert J. Serling Obituary (2010) the Seattle Times". Legacy.com.
- ^ Henry, Bonny (September 24, 2006). "Love of aviation led to seven-decade writing career". Associated Press Newswires.
- ^ "Robert Serling to receive 1988 Lauren D. Lyman Award". Aviation Daily. Vol. 295, no. 3. January 5, 1989.
- ^ Find-A-Grave, Robert Jerome Serling, Retrieved Sep. 4, 2019.
- ^ Find-A-Grave, Priscilla Elane Arone Serling, Retrieved Sep. 4, 2019.
- ^ Geni, Robert Jerome Serling (1918–2010), managed by Jennifer Serling, May 24, 2018, Retrieved Sep. 4, 2019.
- ^ Find-A-Grave, Carolyn Louise (Kramer) Serling, Retrieved Mar. 20, 2020.
- ^ "Welcome to Our 42nd Convention Celebration! Here are some of the details we have gleaned from the Airliners International Archives". Airliners International. Retrieved March 15, 2018.