American writer
Robert Jerome Serling (born Jerome Robert Serling;[4] March 28, 1918 – May 6, 2010) was an American novelist and aviation writer.
Biography
Born 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
Non-fiction
Career
- 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
- ^ 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.
External links
