Rest In Peace-Jerry Irvine

[Tech 68]

Just saw this on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/terry.whit...AQA5TjZw2ro5MIQb-rUoxy2rd5Nfio&__tn__=<,P-y-R

Terry White​

Gerald Andrew Irvine (1958-2023)
It is my sad duty to inform the many who know him that Gerald Andrew Irvine passed away today in Nashville, TN. Jerry, as he was known to his many friends and associates, was a long-time fixture in the field of rocketry. He is pictured at right in the accompanying photo taken at Lucerne Dry Lake, California in July 2022. Jerry was a successful innovator, inventor, entrepreneur, and businessman of some repute. Jerry and I first met circa 1970 as members of the Claremont Rocket Society and the NAR Polaris Section headquartered in Claremont, California. Throughout his life, Jerry was ever a fount of new ideas, always driven to succeed, and sometimes controversial. Less publicly-known is the fact that Jerry was quite generous and had a very kind heart. Indeed, he quitely provided financial assistance to a number of less fortunate individuals. Jerry suffered from declining health in recent years, but continued to soldier on nonetheless. I will truly miss him and his loyal friendship. Till we meet again My Friend!

 

[Hobie1dog]

he was a character.

 

[Sandy H.]

Sorry to hear that. I know he was a polarizing individual, but I always hate for a fellow traveler to have extended health issues.

Sandy.

 

[cwbullet]

Sad to hear. He owed me $600 and kept dancing around about his health. Sound like he was truthful. RIP.

 

[MClark]

If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything.
So I have absolutely nothing to say.

 

[AeroTech]

Something nice.

I first met Jerry when he was about 14 years old, at an Anaheim Stadium launch. Jerry was instrumental in hosting the early high power rocket launches at Lucerne Dry Lake, and was the inventor of “Firestarter” sparky propellant that was copied numerous times by others. He was an early AeroTech dealer and purchased and sold the very first AeroTech motors, the 29mm G30 moonburner, at LDRS-1 under his trade name "Toy Rockets".

 

[Steve Shannon]

I’m sorry to hear the news. To his friends and family I extend my condolences.

 

[aerostadt]

I had his Piston Rocket from U.S. Rockets, which was a very innovative design. It flew very good, but got very high and was easy to lose.

 

[cls]

Godspeed Jerry. Hope you left instructions for your executor to arrange for launching some ashes.

I'm sure I have a couple of his kits in storage. We bought them off the shelf from the IGA in Lucerne.

 

[mr. bob]

RIP Jerry

 

[Rocket86]

He was always very decent to me when I bought kits from him. RIP.

 

[vcp]

I hung out with him a lot in the late '70's. The stories I could tell... but I won't.

 

[Hobie1dog]

I was hoping some people would tell some good stories about him.

 

[roc_boy]

I'm sorry to hear this. The stories I've read over the years and the history of HPR, I'm sorry I never got to meet him. RIP Jerry, condolences to family and friends.

 

[vcp]

I was hoping some people would tell some good stories about him.

Well... one. He worked his way through high school by recording and selling bootleg cassette copies of LPs. And he had an amazing collection of LPs (at least those that were then currently popular with HS students).

 

[fyrwrxz]

Ad Astra, Jerry. Thanks for the igniters, time, arguments and recycled electrons from Pyrat back in the day. He never did convince me to make motors. Jerry was a force of nature. To all his friends and family, peace in your heads, hearts and hearths. God speed, sir. I'm sending one for you at Rocstock, please just send it back.
("Momentum" seems appropriate on a sparky. Maybe a black chute. *Sniff*)
(Edit-omg! I just found my first Aetotech rocket with my original (ugly) Pyrat symbol on the fin. Yep! Gonna fly it as I found it. If Jerry wants it, he can keep it!)

 

[jimzcatz]

No matter what you thought of Jerry, Its sad losing one of our own. They say it comes in 3's So with Gloria passing I wonder who is next. I never met Jerry but he had my respect. I still think his Firestarter propellant is one of the best out here.

 

[cwbullet]

No matter what you thought of Jerry, Its sad losing one of our own. They say it comes in 3's So with Gloria passing I wonder who is next. I never met Jerry but he had my respect. I still think his Firestarter propellant is one of the best out here.

Well said. It is sad to lose anyone. Hope, this is the end of this trend.

 

[Onebadhawk]

RIP Jerry..
Condolences to those he left behind..

It seems we get this type of news all too often..

Teddy

 

[J Blatz]

A bummer. I bought a 6" Swarm from him a couple years back and he was cool to work with.

I often wonder what modern HPR would look like if not for the west coast scene - Gary, Korey, and Jerry were all mainstays. I'm sure there are a few others but those guys always stick out to me.

 

[John Kemker]

Never met Jerry, but I heard tales. It didn't stop me from buying a Swarm that I built but never flew.

RIP, Jerry.

 

[kjhambrick]

I am sorry to hear about Jerry.

I met him either at Lucerne or Boulder Dry Lake back in the 1990s when I lived in San Diego and Jerry was always kind to me whenever I saw him in person.

My condolences to Jerry's family and friends.

-- kjh

 

[beeblebrox]

This is a bummer. I have known him since early 80's. I first met him around 1981. I was on a trip with Herb Desind that included aerial tour of Mt. St, Helens, launching Cinerocs in the mountains of Washington and Oregon. End of trip was an early high power launch at Lucerne Dry Lake. I met Jerry and others who were instrumental in the birth of HPR. We became friends and I had done business with him on a small scale a couple years later. He contracted me to build about 4 dozen launch controllers. At least one of which was still in service about 5 years ago. Jerry told me he saw one of them at a FAR launch. I last spoke with him about 6 months ago and did not know that he had any health issues. I last saw him about 3 years ago when he came out to the East Coast to meet with me and Steve Buck at Pocono for a NASCAR race.

 

[Lawndart]

Was just thinking of Jerry this morning. I was about to send him an email to get a Katana kit.
Like a lot of folks my only contact with him was through emails and the various forums. Bought a Swarm kit after talking with John Kemker. (I built and flew mine full up G80s, plus I stole John’s paint scheme. You can see it in some of USR ads in Sport Rocketry). Bought a lot of USR kits and have a few motors (building an upscale Starlight now) and copies of California Rocketry mag in my collection.
Think I’ll fly a bunch of USR rockets at the next MDRA launch. Lots of bp clusters.

 

[Lawndart]

USR Swarm.

 

[beeblebrox]

 

[John Kemker]

I stole John’s paint scheme.

I don't remember painting mine! LOL!

Lost it in the divorce. Would love to have one, again, but it's too late, now.

 

[speed]

This is a bummer. I have known him since early 80's. I first met him around 1981. I was on a trip with Herb Desind that included aerial tour of Mt. St, Helens, launching Cinerocs in the mountains of Washington and Oregon. End of trip was an early high power launch at Lucerne Dry Lake. I met Jerry and others who were instrumental in the birth of HPR. We became friends and I had done business with him on a small scale a couple years later. He contracted me to build about 4 dozen launch controllers. At least one of which was still in service about 5 years ago. Jerry told me he saw one of them at a FAR launch. I last spoke with him about 6 months ago and did not know that he had any health issues. I last saw him about 3 years ago when he came out to the East Coast to meet with me and Steve Buck at Pocono for a NASCAR race.

Jerry asked me to make launch control boxes for him too! I met him at Lucern. Kosdon too. Jerry used to come out to our launches at El Mirage. I still have some of his motors and a rocket that had a forward closer let go after he built the motor! His kids cracked me up!

 

[Tom Flint]

I flew a lot of Jerry's larger motors back in the day, and they were awesome except for the one L750 that catoed. A lot of people didn't like Jerry because he gave zero damns about rules and laws. They also said that he would try to rip you off if you did business with him, but I gave him a chance and ordered two O motors from him. He delivered them as promised, although he did ship them in a, how shall we say, dodgy way, along with a crate of L and M motors I didn't order or pay for. The O motors rocked!

 

[mtnmanak]

Only hearing about this today and am sorry to hear about Jerry. I knew him for quite a while and we still kept in touch about once a year or so. Last time I had email correspondence with him was in December. He definitely marched to the beat of his own drum and I doubt anyone who knew him had a "neutral" opinion, but he did contribute a huge amount to rocketry and everything we do today. I stayed away from all his motor controversies over the years, but I, for one, loved his rocket designs. I have always loved clusters and Jerry never disappointed in that respect. At the end of the day, whether you liked him or not, Jerry was super interesting and always gave himself completely to what he was trying to do.
As for stories, I always laughed to myself when I would see a package in the mail from Jerry. If you were someone he knew or had done business with, he had a tendency to just send you things and put a note in the package that read something like "If you like this, please pay me on PayPal." I probably received 10 rockets that way over the years that I never ordered. I can't imagine it was a winning business model and I am sure it probably angered some people, but that was quintessential Jerry . Every time my significant other would see a box show up from him, she would say "Is that another rocket from that crazy guy?" I will miss him.