”
If you stop, you drop,
”
is a philosophy I learned from former Air Force flyer Rudy Grube, which describes what happens if your engines go below certain rpms and begin to lose altitude, sometimes ending in a flameout. Every Gilroyan has a story, and Rudy Grube is no exception.
“If you stop, you drop,” is a philosophy I learned from former Air Force flyer Rudy Grube, which describes what happens if your engines go below certain rpms and begin to lose altitude, sometimes ending in a flameout. Every Gilroyan has a story, and Rudy Grube is no exception. While stationed in Germany, his squadron commander was Chuck Yeager. Rudy is a veteran who served his country in the Air Force for 10 years, flying 67 combat missions as a Navigator/Weapons Control Officer on several types of fighter aircraft in Viet Nam. Raised on a farm in Poplar, Wisc., he “trapped varmints” such as coyotes, wolves, and weasels. In the winter months, he would check his trap lines on skis even before going to school. While in high school, he worked part time at a chicken hatchery, caring for 10,000 chickens.
Growing up with Major Dick Bong as a neighbor, the most successful U.S. fighter pilot of World War II (downing 40 planes), awakened an interest in flight for Rudy. Rudy once fell out of the tree where he was picking apples when Dick’s Piper Cub buzzed him. And he still remembers the roar of the first plane he ever saw without propellers when it took a dive at him and his twin brother up on the garage roof – most likely Dick flying by in one of the first jets. His childhood memories include the iron ore boats during World War II, coming half an hour apart 24 hours a day to transport enough ore from the open pit mines to the iron mills for the war effort … hearing the fighters flying overhead during blackouts … sawing timber, mowing and baling hay … cutting Christmas trees. He says he enjoys life in Gilroy: “I don’t miss the snow in Wisconsin, but I do miss the northern lights.” Rudy once caught an early glimpse of his future home: in 1960 he flew over Gilroy at night and noted, “It was a very small town in those days.”
Rudy parlayed his military experience into a successful 20-year career in aerospace management. He was involved in various aspects of avionics, encompassing the design of flight control computers and the manufacture of aircraft and weapons, including the Hellfire missile. Since moving to Gilroy with his wife Jean, a talented artist, and their poodle, Jingles, Rudy has started his third lively career as a Real Estate Broker with Century 21 Premier. His experience over the years with many commercial/industrial manufacturing factory acquisitions and the transition of his family from place to place (not to mention owning and managing properties of his own) has given him a lot of real life experience with real estate.
Not one to throttle back, in just over three years, Rudy has joined the Elks Lodge in Hollister, become active in the Gilroy Seismic Sam RV club, become the Finance Officer for the American Legion (Gilroy Post 217), joined the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce as a representative of the Legion, and become a Director on the South County Realtor Association Board.
The thing that impresses me most about someone like Rudy is his directness, his honesty and his concern for making our community a better place to live. “It’s not about me,” he says, “I am in real estate to help clients achieve their dreams.” To ease the way for his clients, Rudy oversees and expedites every aspect of the home purchase from start to finish. He also donates part of his proceeds back to the community. Rudy’s emphasis on being a valuable and contributing member of our community certainly ensures that his engine will not flameout anytime soon.
