Virginia Heinlein

Virginia Doris Heinlein (nee Gerstenfeld; April 22, 1916 – January 18, 2003) was an American chemist, biochemist, engineer, and the third wife and muse of Robert A. Heinlein, a prominent and successful author often considered one of the "Big Three" of science fiction (along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke).

Life and career Born to George Joseph and Jeanne D Gerstenfeld (nee Rosenthal)', Virginia was raised in Brooklyn with her brother Leon. An organic chemist and biochemist, she served as an inspiration for many of the active and talented red-haired women in Heinlein's stories. She was touched when other users sent her Mother's Day greetings as an homage to her bestowing the title of "Heinlein's Children" on Robert's fans worldwide.

Heinlein scholar Philip H. Owenby credits Virginia's work in her husband's career when he was living and her involvement in the preservation of his legacy after Robert's death for the Heinlein brand's enduring success. After Robert's death in 1988, she moved from California to Florida, where she edited a collection of his letters and writings, published in 1989 as Grumbles from the Grave. In the introduction to Grumbles to the Grave, Virginia writes that throughout the 1960s, she progressively took responsibility for handling the business side (“...record keeping, information on sales, taxes, and some of the correspondence.”) of Heinlein’s career, to the point that when he fell seriously ill in 1970, she had already been keeping the Heinlein brand running for years. She authorised the publication of Tramp Royale and longer editions of previously published works Stranger in a Strange Land, The Puppet Masters, and Red Planet. In 1997 she established a literary society in her husband's name, the Heinlein Society.

Following Virginia's death in 2003, the Heinlein Journal published a special edition dedicated to celebrating her and her contributions to Robert's career.