The following story appeared in the Park Labrea News and Beverly Press 70th Anniversary issue, published April 21. To view the entire issue, click here.

The U.S. space program launched into orbit in the 1950s with the help of a resident who has called the Fairfax District home for six decades.

(George Epstein)

Engineer George Epstein, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, came west from Boston in the early 1950s and found his niche in the aerospace industry. He developed adhesives for North American Aviation, Boeing and Aerojet that were used to manufacture NASA spacecraft for the Apollo, Titan and Polaris missions. His adhesives were an integral part of the space program and made it possible for dozens of space missions and satellites to be deployed. The adhesives Epstein created are still used today.

“One of the things I developed that became an industry standard is film adhesives, where you have fiberglass coated with adhesive. They were much easier to use,” Epstein said. “I got a commendation from NASA for it.”

His adhesives have more down-to-earth applications, too, and are used in aquariums and building projects that use plastic and glass.

He invented lightweight components known as honeycomb composite structures that are like building blocks for making airplane and rocket fuselages. He went on to work for the Aerospace Corp. for 25 years. Although he retired 1991, he remained a consultant in aerospace engineering until a few years ago.

Epstein said he modeled his personal life and professional career after a quote from Henry Ford that he heard when he was a young man.

“He said ‘Success is contributing to society more than it does for you,’” Epstein recalled. “I said that’s what I want to do. It’s something I have always believed and try to follow in whatever I do.”

Epstein’s career also afforded an opportunity for philanthropy in the local community. His late wife Irene inspired him to help young people pursue their dreams in engineering. Epstein is a member of the professional organization Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE). In 1996, SAMPE created the Irene Epstein Memorial Scholarship, and George arranged for students at Fairfax High School to be annual beneficiaries. Every year, four or five Fairfax High students who plan to study engineering or medicine at universities are awarded $2,000 scholarships.

“My kids went to Fairfax High. I’ve always believed that kids who are academically determined but don’t have the financial ability should be allowed to pursue higher education,” Epstein said. “Money should not be a deterrent. The scholarship was set up and now it’s 20 years and running.”

At age 89, Epstein devotes himself to another longtime love – poker. He runs a poker club at the Claude Pepper Senior Citizen Center on La Cienega Boulevard and said the game is like a fountain of youth.

“When I retired, I decided I didn’t want to be a couch potato,” Epstein said. “In playing poker, you challenge the mind. It’s like building a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.”

Epstein regularly plays in poker tournaments and writes columns for Gaming Today and Poker Player magazines. Helping fellow senior citizens keep their minds sharp through poker plays on his desire to give back to others.

“It goes with my goal of contributing to society more than it does for you,” Epstein said. “I’ve had a very productive and useful life. I enjoy sharing that with others.”