THE EARLY TRIPOLI EXPERIENCE
- A Personal Reflection -

To the right: Francis "Glenn" Graham (right) and I, co-founders of the original Tripoli, shortly after we met in 1965. Francis' sister Kathy (far right) and friend Vicky Kudsy didn't mind hanging out with the "geeks".

This little anecdote should clearly illustrate a point: few events in a young person's life are so profound as to last a lifetime. Teenagers discover and dissolve friendships almost daily. But to a few teenagers back in the mid 1960's, the organization that we call Tripoli became a metaphor for friendship, a metaphor for learning and practicing science, and a vehicle for growing and growing up together. To Francis Glenn Graham II and the small core of those early members who remain today, Tripoli has always been just that. It was never just an organization with dues and meetings and newsletters, but rather a working mechanism for people to freely explore ideas of science, philosophy, politics, religion and humanity and to share those ideas with one another in the spirit of friendship. Throughout this article, I will attempt to share with those interested in Tripoli's past, a sense of what this one person's idea, the "glue" of this organization, has meant to its growth for over thirty years. I wish for all of today's Tripoli membership to have some sense of this spirit, because it is as important today as it was when we founded Tripoli.

My long-time friend Ken Good, himself one of the founding members of early Tripoli, has written an excellent article which describes his thoughts and remembrances about our roots. Although his writing deals largely with the rocketry experiments we were involved with, I wish to approach Tripoli's history in a slightly different manner. I hope to add a different dimension to what Ken has written and to what (I hope) the other founding members will write by reflecting on how Tripoli shaped all of our lives, both then and now. I hope to explore the human element of a small core of individuals who founded the organization and what it means to the Tripoli of today. I will leave it to others to write of my individual Tripoli activities if they are so inclined. I wish to focus on the core of others I knew, those who I would now like to remember in some small way. But first, I'd like to share my two fondest memories of those early days as a rocketeer.

In 1965, I visited Estes Industries, Inc., in Colorado while on vacation with my parents. I had been buying and launching model rocket kits from Model Missiles, Estes and more recently the "new" company, Centuri Engineering of Phoenix, Arizona. I sent for my first Estes catalog after seeing an ad in Popular Science magazine in 1962. I seem to remember that it was only a few pages in length, black and white, and was sewn together by Vernon's Estes' wife, Gleda! Anyway, I was so excited about visiting that place that I couldn't sleep at night just thinking about it! When we arrived, I walked past the big blue 55 gallon metal drum rocket in the driveway and through the entrance. There it was... Vernon Estes' office on the right. I could see dozens of beautiful model rockets on shelves along the wall. I immediately asked the receptionist if I could place an order. She smiled and said, "of course"... Vern would have been so proud of her! I ordered an Apogee II kit and a bunch of motors. After getting a tour of the facilities and a look at "Mable" the original rocket motor machine, I was all set until I got home and could scrounge up some more money to make another order!

A portion of my "fleet" of model rockets - 1968.

Now it may be hard to imagine today, but getting a package from Estes Industries, PO Box 227, Penrose, Colorado in those days was a monumental event for me. Each parcel was stamped "Model Rocket Capital of the World". I was so crazy about model rockets that I saved every dime of my lunch money to order kits, parts and engines (they really were called engines... it was printed right on them, "Model Rocket Engine"). The engines came in very strong red or blue cardboard tubes that you could make a rocket (an ugly rocket, mind you) out of. On the white end caps of the tubes the motor type was printed: A8-3, B3-5, etc. My mailman once asked me "What the hell are in those tubes, anyway? Looks like dynamite". I'd just smile because I knew he'd never guess. What's more, you could buy 3 engines of any type then for less than a dollar. Imagine that... three engines for under a buck! And big discounts if you bought 12 or more! After sending my cash to Estes Industries I would wait all day for the mailman to arrive. We flew Scouts and Streaks and Skyhooks and everything in the catalogs until we began to build our own designs. That's when things really started to happen in Tripoli.

But it was the people, not so much the rockets which are my best memories.

In September of 1966 I was honored by being elected president of the Tripoli Science Association. I still have my membership card...shown to the right, hand illustrated and designed by the First Secretary of Tripoli, Francis Graham. His role as First Secretary was truly the heart and soul of our early organization. Glenn put all of his energy into Tripoli; it became his entire world. No matter where he went or who he spoke to, he was always "selling" the concept of Tripoli and recruiting new members. At his first suggestion, the Irwin Rocket Society was immediately absorbed in order to make Tripoli a stronger organization. In fact, in my opinion, the Tripoli of today actually began with this merger in the spring of 1965 as Glenn was in reality, the only active member! Over the years we had many names but I'd say "The Tripoli Ballistics Federation of North America" (1968) pegged the geek meter. But Tripoli was always in the name, regardless of any other terminology. And in the latter part of the 1960's Glenn was beginning to have bigger dreams for us.

Throughout all of those early years he maintained the health of Tripoli and its members. During the first twenty years or so of Tripoli, Glenn did everything to keep its membership growing and more importantly, communicating. He constantly wrote letters, made phone calls and published the early TRIPOLITAN newsletter. To save money, he would mail us everything in reused envelopes. He would draw dialog callouts on the postage stamps and I'll tell you something: those presidents really had some of the damndest things to say! The membership was the lifeblood of the organization; they provided many of the projects and most of the money, but it was Glenn who maintained the system. Truly, everything that was early Tripoli was embodied in this one individual.

But what of his rocketry skills?

Francis Graham was the most innovative thinker I had ever known as a young person. His ideas for rocketry and other projects were at times beyond most of us. His understanding of physics and mathematics were also far beyond ours. But, unlike the rest of us he managed to write about his ideas and eventually develop and design many of them. Unfortunately, Glenn was a terrible rocket builder. He'd use tape instead of glue; smash a paper nose cone into a shape; and finish his creations with a 3" brush and a bucket of house paint. And sanding? Forget it. Not then. Not ever. While his intellectual skills were superior, his practical construction skills were near zero. Someone had to rebuild nearly all of his projects if they ever were to fly. This made for great entertainment in those days. We couldn't wait to see him bring a rocket to the field. After the howling and laughter subsided, we'd all get to the business of re-engineering and eventually fly it. And then he would go back home and write about it.

Francis Graham's grandmother on the front porch of Tripoli's home... 417 Franklin Street.

Art Bower and his model rocket collection - 1967.

Art's influence on early Tripoli was profound. It was his idea to build the Gloria Mundi, a steel micrograin rocket, and the Condor, a huge aluminum skinned, micrograin cluster rocket. Art, Glenn and I attended the Steel City section of the National Association of Rocketry convention at Shadyside Academy in Pittsburgh in 1968. In our room, we displayed the Gloria Mundi, the huge 48 inch-plus steel rocket, destined to be the greatest achievement for Tripoli during our high school years. I can clearly remember the reactions we received from NAR officials! This early event was one of several which set the stage for friction between the NAR and Tripoli. Eventually, I became a member of the NAR but was expelled shortly after LDRS-1 because of my activities with high power rocketry.

Tripoli's high-water mark achievement: the Gloria Mundi and Art's scale Estes Saturn I-B on display at the NAR Convention at Shadyside Academy, Pittsburgh, PA - 1968.

There were others who helped shape early Tripoli, some for the better and some who nearly destroyed it. There were those who desired to take total control of the organization and undermine the cooperative nature of our endeavors. In the end, the spirit of what we were endured. Politics, greed and personal gain could not overcome the years of trust and respect that had cemented the core together as a family of friends. Ernie Scavincky, Ed Onder, Marty Hughes (no relation to me), and especially AJ Reed were just a few who made major contributions to early Tripoli. Some of these members have recently resurfaced to reacquaint themselves as the years have passed on. AJ Reed was one of those who came back to Tripoli after many years had passed.

Alan James Reed, an East Pittsburgh prefecture member was an early Tripoli core member in every respect. AJ had an incredibly easy-going demeanor that was infectious. Everyone liked to be around AJ. He had great ideas and most of all he had unending energy for a person who had more than his fair share of health problems. Beginning in the late 1960's AJ took on many tasks voluntarily to help Glenn build a stronger East Pittsburgh prefecture. Like many of us, AJ's involvement with rocketry was nourished by the relationships he formed with the membership. AJ built innumerable model rockets and even marketed his own line of kits for awhile. If I had to sum up my recollection of AJ Reed in one word, it would be dependable. Like Francis, he was always there when Tripoli needed him. AJ later served on the board of directors of Tripoli, following its reorganization.

Left (L to R):Ken Good, Anthony J. Longo, AJ Reed, Ernie Scavincky, Francis Graham, Ed Onder, Charmaine Havey, and Curt Hughes.

Right: Art Bower holding the Gloria Mundi in 1968.

Early Tripoli's growth reached its zenith in December of 1968 with over one hundred members in several states. There were articles in the TRIPOLITAN describing very ambitious projects and the newsletter began to be published by the infamous Walrus... Art Bower's pseudonym of his official Tripoli residence as given by Glenn (The Aerodynamic Institute for Terrestrial Rocketry, AITR) and based on the popular Beatles song. He wrote one particularly funny series based on the struggles of four Tripoli members (illustrated in outfits from Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band) and a certain NAR official (oddly enough portrayed as a villain) in a setting loosely based on the Beatles' film Help! It's amazing when I read these old newsletters today the number of memory cells which reactivate... ones I had always assumed destroyed by the 60's!

December 1968 TRIPOLITAN cover, "The Launch of Apollo 8".

Centuri "Mini-Max powered Scorpion launch at the Maple Drive-In movie theater in 1968. (L to R) Curt Hughes, Ken Good, Art Bower

Tripoli members came and went over the years and in the end only the core remained to see it evolve into what it is today. In the early 1980's I was teaching school (and yes, I used model rocketry to teach science) when Tom Blazanin phoned me to introduce himself. He was interested in the emerging high power rocketry movement and had been speaking to Francis (at his request, we began calling him "Francis" when "Glenn" began his career as a college professor) about making motors. We all met and began to discuss the idea of a new rocketry organization which could accommodate the new, high power rocketry movement. As Ken Good and I began to make contacts with other individuals at KentCon and prior to LDRS-1, we realized that others shared the same idea. Inwardly, Ken and I both hoped that Tripoli could fulfill this need but the discussion at the time was for a completely new organization. Ultimately, Tom took the lead on this and after several failed attempts to coordinate and organize such a group, Tom began to realize that the existing Tripoli offered the high power community the perfect springboard towards such an organization. The old Tripoli would serve as an incubus to promote high power to the nation through launches everywhere.

And my new friend Chris Pearson was just the person to help us.

LDRS-1 was held in Medina, Ohio in the summer of 1982 and during the weekend affair Chris Pearson introduced me to many of the modelers from the west coast who were flying at Lucerne Dry Lake, and who would soon become key players in determining high power's direction. In addition, Ken and I met Larry Broadbent, Gary Rosenfield, Ron Schultz and others. The most significant introduction however, was to my good friend Chuck Mund. Meeting Chuck had a great influence on myself and on Tripoli's future.

Chuck is a really big guy with an even bigger heart. This guy was into big rockets too! In 1985 I had completed graduate school and moved to Long Island to work for Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now part of Lockheed). I can remember driving over to New Jersey to spend the weekend at Chuck's... my rockets sticking up out of the open sunroof on my little sports car as I sped down the Long Island Expressway and across the Bronx and the George Washington Bridge. Man, the looks I got from that! Chuck's house was always filled with rockets and rocketeers on the weekends. Scott Pearce, Jim Dunlap, John Holmboe and others would hang out all weekend and we'd all "geek it up" big time. Sometime in the early morning hours we'd crash on the floor, get up and do it again. I have never seen so many rocket projects in various stages of completion than at Chuck's home. It's a damn good thing he was a bachelor! Chuck and I flew to Lucerne for a launch one year and I sold my LOC King Viper III, which I had crated for the launch, to Robert K. Weiss the Hollywood movie producer!

After returning to New York from Lucerne, Tripoli was finally poised for the big change. All the original members knew that Tripoli was about to begin a new chapter in its history and we all were ready to support the effort. Most of us knew that Tripoli would soon have a completely different identity. We would have to let go of the past and yet somehow, we were determined to integrate the old Tripoli in some way. As LDRS 1, 2 and 3 passed into history, LDRS 4 was fast approaching. It was here that Tripoli would be formally introduced the growing high power community and emerge as the Tripoli of today.

Chuck Mund helps me prep my Hi-Test 2650 for a flight with three FSI F-100's at LDRS-1, 1982.