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History of the Tripoli Rocketry Association

Tripoli Rocketry Association - The Origin Story

The entire history of the Tripoli Rocketry Association would require a lengthier narrative than what is offered here. What follows is a brief overview of Tripoli’s origin, early progress, and transformation into a national/international organization.

Early Years
The beginning of Tripoli dates back to December 1964, when a small group of junior high school students in Rillton, Pennsylvania formed a science club to pursue mutual interests. Francis (Glenn) Graham was the club’s key founding member, and the guiding force of their activities (primarily rocketry and astronomy). Francis moved to nearby Irwin, PA in early 1966, where he met another junior high student, Curt Hughes, who had started both school and neighborhood model rocket clubs. Francis and Curt soon joined forces, with the pool of the local rocket club becoming the charter members of what would become Tripoli.

Francis moved yet again, from Irwin to East Pittsburgh, in May 1967. There, he was able to expand the club to include members from three regional communities: East Pittsburgh, North Braddock, and Irwin. At this time, several key western PA rocketeers became Tripoli members and would join Francis and Curt in driving the spirit and growth of the group. These members included Art Bower, Ken Good, A.J. Reed, and Ernie Scavincky.

Francis G. Graham with the XSSM-13 Victoria, 1966.

To help finance experiments and projects, one of the members donated some gold coins he had received from his father. These coins came from Tripoli, Lebanon during World War II. Since the membership was now based in three communities, and Tripoli (roughly) meant "three cities," the name was adopted and they were known as the Tripoli Science Club.

Left: The first official Tripoli publication, the “Tripolitan.” This early series was produced by Art Bower. The cover of this issue (from 1968) clearly shows the prefecture organizational structure that was adopted from Tripoli’s earliest days.

The Tripolitan would evolve over time, and would eventually lead to “High Power Rocketry” magazine many years later.

Lower left: Some of the model rockets which were the focus of Tripoli in its early days. These belonged to Curt Hughes.

Lower right: Art Bower with his collection.

Expansion and Diversification
Rocket activities dominated the group’s interests, and the "Tripoli Rocket Club" soon became the accepted name. During the early years, the club went through several name modifications, including the "Tripoli Ballistics Federation of North America," which corresponded to a modest national and international expansion of the group during the first decade of its existence. Early on, the concept of local "prefectures" had been adopted as a structural method for the organization. At its height, the young Tripoli "Federation" had prefectures in several cities/regions across the country, as well as a small prefecture in Denmark, and a mailing list of nearly 1,000 members. This early growth was ultimately tough for youthful leaders to sustain, and the proto-Tripoli experienced some ebb and flow in size through the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.

During this period, the Tripoli Rocket Club’s interests grew even more strongly in rocketry directions more advanced than conventional model rockets. Accordingly, explorative activities were diverse, and included everything from advanced model rockets (large clusters, massive multi-staging, and higher impulse commercial motors as they became available) through amateur rocket activities.

In the latter area, experimentation focused on metal rockets using two propellants: zinc-sulfur and the ever popular "caramel candy" (sugar and potassium nitrate). Brinley’s “Rocket Manual for Amateurs” had significant influence, and following guidance found therein, several replicas of the Fort Sills “Beta” sounding rocket, of full and partial scale and using zinc-sulfur, were built and launched. Curt Hughes and Art Bower collaborated chiefly on these, while Ernie Scavincky carried out a series of experimental flights of varying results using caramel candy in several rocket designs, including the "Miniherc" and "Vikar."

Notably successful were the zinc-sulfur "Gloria Mundi" of 1969, and the "Spartan" series of the early 1970’s. As one may imagine, not all of these efforts were successful, and there were the inevitable catastrophic failures of some of them. Fortunately, considering the number of metal rockets and motors built, no one was ever injured - a testament to the care and attention to safety, even before there was a true safety code, that these high school and college-age students observed while they pushed the envelope of civilian rocketry. This too became an early ethic of Tripoli – to be adventurous but to do so with caution and an eye to safe operations.

A 1968 gathering at “Lake Orcus” – the launch site of several memorable Tripoli projects. 

(L-R): Francis Graham, Curt Hughes, Art Bower, and Ken Good.

Francis holds a small Tripoli flag bearing the “Crux Tripolia” – the first logo of Tripoli.

Upper left: Ernie Scavincky with his caramel candy rocket, the J12 Radiak, just before its flight attempt.

Upper center: Brinley's "Rocket Manual for Amateurs" - this was an influential source of information for

Tripoli's advanced propellant/rocket efforts in the late 1960's to early 1970's.

Upper right: In a blue and yellow paint scheme, the metal airframe XSSM-15 Gloria Mundi, which flew

successfully in March 1969, using zinc-sulfur propellant. Stood in front of it is Art Bower’s dual Camroc Bi-Eye.

Left: The attendees of the “Ninth Federation Meeting” on August 22, 1971 at “the Secretariat” in

East Pittsburgh, PA.

Pictured here (L-R) are: Ken Good, Tony Longo, A.J. Reed , Ernest Scavincky, Francis Graham,

Edward Onder, Charmaine Havey, and Curt Hughes.

Tripoli’s High Power Rocketry Roots

After their high school years, Tripoli members continued to pursue rocketry interests, although differing post-high school plans made it difficult for some to remain engaged. There were membership losses and most of the prefectures outside of the Pittsburgh region became inactive. It was clear that lacking a true “national organization” it was not easy to hold together a loose structure during times when many were sorting out their young adult lives. Nonetheless, the core group continued activity in all phases of rocketry during the 70's. A.J. had a short-lived, but modestly successful rocket kit company, Catskill Rockets. And in the late 70's/early 80's the group was progressing toward larger and more complex model rockets, with Curt taking a lead role.

Curt was working on original design composite motors in the F and G impulse range, and Ken was working on multi-staging of newer higher impulse commercial motors, around the time leading up to Chris Pearson’s groundbreaking "LDRS-1" event. Curt and Ken both attended the first two LDRS’s, linking with Chris, and began to network with a wider group of advanced rocketeers who had been following similar paths to Tripoli, but had been doing so more or less independently. The networking facilitated by the first several LDRS events would pave the way for an effort to unify advanced rocketeers across the country.

A.J. Reed with his Sidewinder scale rocket.

Left: Chris Pearson, the founder of the LDRS rocket events, at LDRS-1.

Center: Curt Hughes with his Ace Mongrel at LDRS-1. The flight of this rocket was awarded “most impressive flight” of the event.

Above: View of the LDRS-1 flying field at Medina, OH with a rocket take-off.

LDRS-1 - Group shot of attendees (not pictured - Curt Hughes and Ken Good)

The Genesis of a National Organization

One of those who had been following a parallel independent path was Tom Blazanin, who joined Tripoli in 1984. After years as a lone ranger, he discovered, as many people have, a group of adults in his own back yard interested in rockets! Independent of the Tripoli activity, Tom had tried to unite the high-power rocket community with an organization called the "Advanced Rocketry Society." While it recruited members, it was not strong enough to survive and like several other organizations that tried to unite, it dissolved.

After Tom joined the group, the members of the Tripoli Rocket Club reorganized with the help of Tom and Francis. Members interested in astronomy separated to form the "American Lunar Society," which would be headed by Francis. The remaining members, about eighteen of them, renamed the group the "Tripoli Rocketry Society," along the lines set by the Advanced Rocketry Society, and geared themselves toward what was becoming the new area of “high-powered model rocketry."

In early 1985 Tom was contacted by Mark Weber (from Cincinnati, Ohio), who had heard of Tom's abortive attempt to form the Advanced Rocketry Society. Mark asked Tom if he would be interested in starting up a national organization again, only this time there would be backing from the manufacturers. While having some doubts, Tom nonetheless went to Cincinnati for a meeting.

The meeting was held on April 12, 1985 in Cincinnati Ohio. The purpose was to address the formation of a national organization to perpetuate the safety, advancement, and future of non-professional rocketry, above that described by the National Association of Rocketry. The organizational structure was to work within the National Fire Prevention Association's Rule #1122, and to permit its members legal activity, again, above that described by the National Association of Rocketry.

The meeting was a difficult one, lasting until near 3 AM the next morning, with very little headway being made. Due to the lack of agreement on key points, a halt was called. Tom stated that he had a group in Pittsburgh which, in his opinion, met most all of the points argued; as far as he was concerned, he was happy with it and the activities with which they were involved. This stalled situation on the development of a new organization led to a (perhaps obvious) consideration. Since a group was already formed that had a basic structure, a working membership, and bank account, would the Tripoli Rocket Society be willing to act as the springboard, expanding into the national organization the community needed? The answer was affirmative.

Tom Blazanin at the “Z-1” launch event, near Zelienople, PA, 1986.

Thus, with a simple word change, the Tripoli Rocketry Association came into existence. In some ways, it would be a return to the prefecture-based network that had existed before, but had declined. However, this time, the organizers were not just a handful of young students with limited experience. It was believed that with a well-organized structure, Tripoli could effectively recruit members from the emerging group of high-power rocketry enthusiasts that were now more aware of each other, many of whom had already gathered for the first three LDRS events.

Accordingly, the Pittsburgh membership and funds formed the base that began to grow, albeit slowly. An interim Board of Directors was created to write a constitution and set up a governing body on a national basis. J.P. O'Connor, Cincinnati, was President; Mark Weber, Cincinnati, was Vice-President; Tom Blazanin, Pittsburgh, Secretary; and Francis Graham, Pittsburgh, Treasurer.

Gary Rosenfield and Ron Schultz at LDRS-4.

LDRS-4, in Medina, Ohio, was the launch that introduced the Tripoli Rocketry Association to the country. Many people were skeptical about this thing called "Tripoli" and did not want to support a relatively unknown organization until it proved itself. But the core group was enthusiastic; notably, Melodi Rosenfield's efforts proved influential and Tripoli left LDRS-4 with a healthy increase in its membership.

However, the young organization experienced some early problems that threatened its growth just as it was gaining momentum. The four interim Board members seemed to form two factions. The people in Cincinnati, while having a good grasp of the national scene and long-range goals, did not want to delegate responsibility and let new people become involved with Tripoli’s leadership. The Pittsburgh faction had a good rapport with the membership and what the people wanted immediately, and found the others’ demands too hard to work with...so they didn't! This created a crisis within the organization which in turn caused three of the four interim Board members to resign office. The sole surviving Board member, Francis Graham, called an election, and in January 1986 a new Board of Directors was seated. Thus, the Tripoli Rocketry Association was stabilized.

The first Board of Directors consisted of nine members:

Tom Blazanin - Pittsburgh, PA

Francis Graham - Pittsburgh, PA

Curt Hughes - New York, NY

Bill Barber - Woodland Hills, CA

Ed Tindell - Houston, TX

Gary Fillible - Sheridan, OR

Chuck Mund - West Milford, NJ

Glenn Strickland - Knoxville, TN

Philip Matte - Fayetteville, NC

The new Board chose Tom Blazanin to be President. His dedication to the Tripoli and his ideas on its future made the decision easy (in any case, many thought he was President all along!). Bill Barber became Vice-President, Ed Tindell became Treasurer, and Francis Graham took over as Secretary, a position he had held within Tripoli continuously since 1964.

Now stabilized, Tripoli began to grow, slowly and steadily. A fellow Tripoli member, Darrel Gardner from Alaska, offered his services as an attorney to incorporate the Association as a non-profit business for the advancement and operation of non-professional rocketry. On July 18, 1986 the Tripoli Rocketry Association, Inc. came into existence.

LDRS-5 in Medina, Ohio saw the first Board of Directors meeting, during which the Board ratified the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. That weekend also saw the first Tripoli national general assembly - the membership meeting - during which the Board’s actions were approved by the membership. This new national organization of advanced non-professional rocketry was gaining momentum. There were fewer "What's a Tripoli?" at this LDRS, and people who, just a year earlier, were skeptics were now members

Scenes from LDRS-5.

Far left: Korey Kline and Melodi Rosenfield prep Korey’s Ace Monocopter for flight.

Left: Bill Barber and Gary Fillible, two of the nine new TRA directors.

Below: – Group photo of LDRS-5 attendees.

This would be the last LDRS held in Medina, OH, due to the growth of the event and the ever-increasing capabilities of the rockets being flown.

At LDRS-5 Tripoli introduced its “Consumer Confirmation Membership Card” program to enable its members to have legal access to Class B motors. The program was well-accepted by the members, and it eventually evolved into the TRA membership/certification card in use today. January 1, 1987 saw the Tripoli Advanced Rocketry Safety Code placed in operation. And 1987 saw the Tripoli Rocketry Association, Inc. given the rights to the LDRS series of high power launches as their national launch and meeting event. Prefectures, clubs and groups around the country united in support of the national association, and were forming at a steady rate, with membership numbers growing strongly.

From the Past to the Future

Much has happened since those first LDRS events and the formation of the Tripoli Rocketry Association as an incorporated organization. Rockets and motors have grown in size and performance capabilities, and non-commercial “research motors” have been defined and codified for safe use at our launches. This latter development helped to grow an additional annual launch event, primarily focused on TRA’s most advanced, ultra high-performance rockets – the “BALLS” launches held at Black Rock Dry Lake in Nevada. These events have attracted flyers from all over the world, and have been steadily growing in size.

Also, many regulations have changed over the years, involving required effort on the part of the organization to remain safe and legal. And the leadership structure has remained stable, with many new directors, officers, and committee members contributing their volunteer time to maintain and expand the organization over the years.

LDRS-18 - President Bruce Kelly holds an early Tripoli flag. The stylized Gothic “T” - Tripoli’s first official logo - was designed by Francis Graham.

BALLS 28, September 2019. Seven of the (up until then) nine total TRA presidents were in attendance.

L-R: Tom Blazanin, Chuck Rogers, Dick Embry, Ken Good, Terry McCreary, Stu Barrett, Debra Koloms.

The Tripoli Rocketry Association, Inc. of today has grown well beyond the scope of the old Tripoli Rocketry Federation, with a much larger membership base, many more US prefectures, and prefectures in several countries outside the US. The very early Tripoli, which is now generally just one of TRA’s prefectures (TRA Pittsburgh #001), had large ambitions that were not fully realized for years. As this narrative reveals, the dreams of those early members never died, and evolved into the reality that is TRA now.

Someone once said Tripoli exists through default...and in a way they were right. All advanced rocketry groups that had tried to unite and expand worldwide in the manner Tripoli did failed. But a key tradition that was the hallmark of the early Tripoli remains alive today – a dedication to advanced rocketry in many forms, to pushing the envelope of civilian rocketry, and to do so in a safe and scientific manner. So, while the name of our organization may have come about as much by chance as anything, the essential spirit of the Tripoli Rocketry Association of today has been consistent, and owes a debt of thanks to all those early advanced rocketeers who pooled their enthusiasm and skills to make the modern TRA happen.

TRA Logo

Right: BALLS 14, September, 2005. Four of the early Tripoli members united to launch an updated APCP powered version of the original 1968-69 “Gloria Mundi” rocket. The dark dirt at the base of the launch rail was taken from the original launch site at Lake Orcus.

Front (l-r): Curt Hughes & Ken Good; Rear (l-r): Art Bower & Francis Graham. Photo by Nadine Kinney

Photo credits: Francis Graham, Curt Hughes, Ken Good, Chris Pearson, Nadine Kinney, Dave Rose, and the “Tripolitan” archives.