About the Author

Robert Frimtzis

Robert Frimtzis

At the age of ten my peaceful town Beltz, Bessarabia (now Moldova) was destroyed by the Nazis and I survived the ravages of World War II by escaping to Tajikistan. Hunger forced me to quit school and get my first fulltime job at the age of twelve.       
To escape from Soviet anti-Semitism and get to America, I crossed many borders illegally. At nineteen, I reached America where I earned a bachelor’s degree from CCNY and a master’s from Columbia University, both in electrical engineering, without finishing high school. In various engineering management positions, I contributed to the success of Apollo and Surveyor lunar explorations, defense satellites and the Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft. I also founded RFA Associates, a software engineering company.
I am currently retired and have been married for over fifty years. My wife and I live in Rancho Santa Fe, California. We have four children and six grandchildren.
I’ve written my memoir, From Tajikistan to the Moon, an compelling true story of the spellbinding events of the war and my escape. It brings to life my flight to freedom and my ultimate success in America. Against all odds, a boy from Beltz survived the Nazi bombs, escaped from Russia, trekked through half of Europe, and to top it all off, contributed to the accomplishments of America’s space and defense program

At the age of ten my peaceful town Beltz, Bessarabia (now Moldova) was destroyed by the Nazis and I survived the ravages of World War II by escaping to Tajikistan. Hunger forced me to quit school and get my first fulltime job at the age of twelve.       

To escape from Soviet anti-Semitism and get to America, I crossed many borders illegally. At nineteen, I reached America where I earned a bachelor’s degree from CCNY and a master’s from Columbia University, both in electrical engineering, without finishing high school. In various engineering management positions, I contributed to the success of Apollo and Surveyor lunar explorations, defense satellites and the Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft. I also founded RFA Associates, a software engineering company.

I am currently retired and have been married for over fifty years. My wife and I live in Rancho Santa Fe, California. We have four children and six grandchildren.

I’ve written my memoir, From Tajikistan to the Moon, an compelling true story of the spellbinding events of the war and my escape. It brings to life my flight to freedom and my ultimate success in America. Against all odds, a boy from Beltz survived the Nazi bombs, escaped from Russia, trekked through half of Europe, and to top it all off, contributed to the accomplishments of America’s space and defense programs.