- Virginia Heinlein
Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein (
April 22 ,1916 –January 18 ,2003 ), born Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld, was the third wife ofRobert A. Heinlein , a prominent and successful author once known as one of the "Big Three" of science fiction (along withIsaac Asimov andArthur C. Clarke ).Born to George and Jeanne Gerstenfeld, Virginia was raised in Brooklyn and had one brother, Leon. She was red-haired, an organic chemist and biochemist, and served as an inspiration for many of the active and talented red-haired women in Heinlein's stories.Citation
last = Woo | first = Elaine | title = Virginia Heinlein, 86; Wife, Muse and Literary Guardian of Celebrated Science Fiction Writer (free abstract) | newspaper =Los Angeles Times | pages = B14 | year = 2003 | date = 2006-01-26 | url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/280532451.html?dids=280532451:280532451&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+26%2C+2003&author=Elaine+Woo&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=B.14&desc=Obituaries%3B+Virginia+Heinlein%2C+86%3B+Wife%2C+Muse+and+Literary+Guardian+of+Celebrated+Science+Fiction+Writer] She met Robert when they both worked at the Naval Air Experimental Station inPhiladelphia when she was a lieutenant in theWAVES in the U.S. Navy in World War II. She moved toLos Angeles in 1946 to take an advanced degree, where Heinlein had already relocated after the war. They married onOctober 21 ,1948 in New Mexico. Shortly thereafter they moved to Colorado, but in 1965 her health was chronically affected by the altitude, so the couple moved toBonny Doon, California .Prior to a trip to the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (where they happened to be whenFrancis Gary Powers was shot down in his U-2 spyplane), Virginia learned to speak Russian, which proved invaluable in talking with local citizens.Virginia Heinlein was highly esteemed among her husband's fans for her exceptional willingness to correspond with them and/or to otherwise acknowledge them. This continued until her last days, with activity in aUsenet newsgroup devoted to Heinlein fans. She was very touched when other users sent her Mother's Day greetings, an homage to her bestowing the title of "Heinlein's Children" on Robert's fans worldwide.
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