Robert E. Ginna Jr. Passes Away at 99
Robert E. Ginna Jr., a pioneering editor of People magazine, influential book editor, and film producer, passed away on March 4 at his residence in Sag Harbor, New York. His son, Peter St. John Ginna, confirmed the news of his death. Mr. Ginna was 99 years old.
Throughout an impressive career spanning nearly eight decades, Mr. Ginna held various significant roles. As the editor-in-chief at Little, Brown, he encouraged renowned author James Salter to transition from screenwriting to novel writing and discovered thriller author Dr. Robin Cook. He was also involved in film production and was a foundational figure in the creation of People, initially intended as a sophisticated platform for cultural profiles of notable figures such as Graham Greene and Vladimir Nabokov. However, he departed from the magazine when it shifted focus to celebrity gossip, which he found less appealing.
While Mr. Ginna achieved much in his career, he is perhaps most famously recognized for a groundbreaking article he co-authored with H.B. Darrach Jr. for the April 7, 1952 edition of Life magazine. This edition featured a captivating image of Marilyn Monroe alongside the provocative title “There Is a Case for Interplanetary Saucers.”
The article sparked significant attention and controversy, making Mr. Ginna a focal point for UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike. Titled “Have We Visitors From Space?”, it analyzed ten reports of unidentified flying objects and featured a compelling statement from German rocket specialist Walther Riedel, who asserted his firm belief in their extraterrestrial origins.
In the late 1940s, many UFO sightings were dismissed as trivial; however, by the early 1950s, more serious human-interest articles began to entertain the possibility that these sightings could indicate extraterrestrial visitors. A notable example of this shift was the aforementioned article in Life magazine, which became one of the most impactful pieces on the topic.
Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, who led the U.S. Air Force’s internal UFO investigation known as Project Blue Book, remarked in his 1956 book “The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects” that the Life article had a profound impact on the American public, more so than any other UFO-related piece. He noted that while other journalists had visited the Air Technical Intelligence Center (now the National Air and Space Intelligence Center) in Dayton, Ohio, the name “LIFE” and the anticipation of a feature story caused anxiety among officials there.
Mr. Ginna’s article did not definitively claim that UFOs were from outer space; rather, it suggested the possibility, supported by quotes from notable figures, including Dr. Riedel. A 2024 report mandated by Congress concluded that there was no evidence linking UFO sightings to visits from alien life forms.
Throughout his life, Mr. Ginna was described as someone who “carved his own path,” according to Jeremy Gerard, a critic and biographer. He was known for quoting literary figures like Yeats and O’Casey and maintained correspondence with many prominent writers. Unafraid to follow his own convictions, he left People magazine when its direction no longer resonated with him and later dedicated himself to teaching amidst the swift changes in the literary landscape.
Born on December 3, 1925, in Brooklyn, Robert Emmett Ginna Jr. was named after the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet, a tribute to his heritage. His father was an electrical engineer who later chaired Rochester Gas and Electric, while his mother descended from Irish immigrants. In addition to his son, Peter, Mr. Ginna is survived by his daughter, Mary Frances Williams Ginna; his sister, Margretta Michie; two grandchildren; and a great-grandson. His wife, Margaret, passed away in 2004, and his first marriage to Patricia Ellis ended in divorce without children. Following his wife’s death, he was in a relationship with journalist Gail Sheehy, who passed away in 2020.
Mr. Ginna’s educational journey began at the Aquinas Institute of Rochester before he briefly attended Harvard College. He left to enlist in the Navy at 17, serving in the Pacific during World War II, and later graduated from the University of Rochester in 1948. Initially aspiring to a career in medical research, a transformative experience while viewing the rose windows at Chartres Cathedral in France led him to pursue a master’s degree in art history at Harvard and a short stint as a curator at the Newark Museum of Art.
In his late twenties, Mr. Ginna began his writing career as a freelancer for the Gannett newspaper group before joining Life magazine in 1950. His interview with Irish playwright Sean O’Casey for NBC inspired him to produce the film “Young Cassidy” in 1965, although Sean Connery, originally slated to star, chose to take on the role of James Bond instead.
Mr. Ginna also produced notable films like “Before Winter Comes” in 1969, featuring a cast that included David Niven and John Hurt, and “Brotherly Love” in 1970 with Peter O’Toole. While Mr. Salter acknowledged some limitations in Mr. Ginna’s producing capabilities, he recognized his integrity and cultural depth, alongside his strong beliefs.
After his time with People magazine as a founding editor in 1974, Mr. Ginna served as editor-in-chief at Little, Brown from 1977 to 1980, where he published Dr. Cook’s groundbreaking medical thriller “Coma.” He later returned briefly to Time Inc. in an attempt to revive Life magazine. Beginning in 1987, he transitioned to academia, teaching writing and film at Harvard University and eventually establishing an academic press at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, when he was 80 years old.
In his early seventies, Mr. Ginna undertook an extensive trek across Ireland while carrying a heavy rucksack, a journey he chronicled in his book “The Irish Way: A Walk Through Ireland’s Past and Present,” published in 2003. Though he retired from teaching at the age of 90 in 2016, he continued to engage in writing, leaving behind an unfinished memoir titled “Epiphanies.”
