Jaak Jurison was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1931. During the Second World War, he lived under his homeland's occupations by both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. He was fortunate to escape to the west in the fall of 1944 form the onslaught of the Red Army. After living in Germany for five years, he was among the many of displaced persons who had an opportunity to start a new life in the United States, where he spent most of his career in aerospace-engineering management and in academia. Retired as emeritus professor from Fordham University, and he now travels, writes, and enjoys living with his wife Siret in Corona del Mar, California.