Geoff Hunter - Revision history

ClaudeBot: Enhance using David de Hilster's tribute: fix Natural Philosophy Society red link -> Natural Philosophy Alliance; fix typos (worked for, Goeff, inguinal->inaugural); expand gravity experiment, film role, samba/surdo and personal life; add Category:Gravity and tribute link

2026-07-21T00:36:16Z

Enhance using David de Hilster's tribute: fix Natural Philosophy Society red link -> Natural Philosophy Alliance; fix typos (worked for, Goeff, inguinal->inaugural); expand gravity experiment, film role, samba/surdo and personal life; add Category:Gravity and tribute link

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:36, 20 July 2026
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	Geoff Hunter was as an American mechanical engineer ~~and scientist~~ who for the aerospace company Rocketdyne~~. He participated~~ in a gravity experiment ~~that was part~~ of the feature-length documentary ~~film~~ [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]].		'''Geoff Hunter''' (1933 – 18 December 2018) was an American mechanical engineer who worked for the aerospace company '''Rocketdyne''', and who in later life brought that engineering skill to the '''gravity experiment''' devised by Dr. [[Ricardo Carezani]] to test whether gravity is carried by a particle. He designed the mechanical arm at the heart of the apparatus, co-authored the resulting paper, and appeared as one of the central figures in the feature-length documentary ''[[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]''.

	~~==Gravity Experiment==~~		Outside the laboratory he was a percussionist of some standing, playing for nearly twenty years with a Los Angeles samba school and performing in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro.
	~~Geoff Hunter participated in a gravity experiment as designed by Dr. [[Ricardo Carezani]] whose purpose it~~ was ~~to try and prove that gravity is caused by~~ a ~~particle called the graviton. The experiment was part~~ of ~~the feature-length documentary film [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]. Geoff was in charge of the mechanical arm and authored~~ a ~~paper along with [[Robert de Hilster]]~~ and ~~[[David de Hilster]], presenting their findings~~ in ~~2007 at~~ the ~~[[Natural Philosophy Society]] at the University of Connecticut~~.

	==~~Film~~==		==Professional life==
	~~Geoff~~ was one of the main ~~characters~~ in ~~the~~ Einstein Wrong documentary and also ~~participated~~ as a production assistant ~~helping out~~ with ~~boom mic~~.
			Hunter spent his career as a mechanical engineer at '''Rocketdyne''', the rocket-engine manufacturer. He described the work there with characteristic understatement: that they used to blow up rockets all the time, and then go and find the pieces to work out what had gone wrong — a description that captures the empirical, failure-driven engineering temperament he later brought to the gravity experiment.

			In 1966 he bought a remote house in Malibu, a decision his colleagues questioned at the time given the distances he would have to commute. He kept it for the rest of his life.

			==The gravity experiment==

			Hunter took part in the gravity experiment designed by Dr. [[Ricardo Carezani]], the originator of [[Autodynamics]], whose purpose was to test whether gravity is caused by a particle — a '''graviton''' — by attempting to detect its effect directly.

			Hunter's contribution was the '''mechanical arm''': the pendulum assembly on which the detection depended, and precisely the part of the apparatus that demanded a professional engineer rather than a physicist. He co-authored the paper reporting the findings with [[Bob de Hilster\|Robert de Hilster]] and [[David de Hilster]], presented in 2007 to the [[Natural Philosophy Alliance]] at the University of Connecticut — see ''[[Gravity Experiment 1 ]]''.

			The experiment connects to the wider particle-based account of gravity developed by [[Bob de Hilster\|Robert de Hilster]], in which gravity is a pushing force carried by real particles rather than an attraction; see [[Particle Model]].

			==''Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year''==

			Hunter was one of the main figures in ''[[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]'', the documentary directed by [[David de Hilster]], appearing on screen in the gravity-experiment sequences and elsewhere, including a museum visit. He also worked behind the camera as a '''production assistant''', handling the boom microphone — an unusual double role, and a practical one in keeping with his character.

	==Music==		==Music==
	Geoff was an avid music lover and percussionist collecting and playing percussion instruments from around the world. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School]. He played in the inguinal launch production of Kia Motor's Rio car launch in Seoul Korea as well as in the drum corp for [http://wiki.worldsamba.org/index.php?title=Unidos_do_Mundo Unidos do Mundo] in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000.

	==~~Professional Life~~==		Hunter was an avid collector and player of percussion instruments from around the world. He delighted in acquiring them and sharing them with others, and would cheerfully admit, with a grin, when he could not actually play one.
	~~Goeff~~ Hunter ~~was~~ a ~~mechanical engineer at Rocketdyne where he said they used to blow up rockets all~~ the ~~time~~ and ~~then go find the pieces to discover what went wrong~~.
			He was an early member of the Los Angeles samba school [http://www.sambala.org SambaLá], where he played for close to twenty years, principally the '''surdo''' — the large bass drum that carries the underlying pulse of a samba bateria. [[David de Hilster]], who played alongside him, has written of the particular pleasure of playing solo surdo supported by Geoff's steady second surdo behind it.

			He performed in the inaugural launch production for Kia Motors' Rio car in Seoul, South Korea, and in 2000 played in the drum corps of [http://wiki.worldsamba.org/index.php?title=Unidos_do_Mundo Unidos do Mundo] in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, where his wife Maija appeared as ''porta-bandeira'', the flag-bearer.

			==Personal life==

			Hunter married Maija after a spontaneous decision in Las Vegas; the marriage lasted sixty years. They had two sons, and lived in Malibu, where their property stood among those of well-known Hollywood figures. He died of heart failure in December 2018.

	~~==Personal Life==~~		In a tribute written after his death, David de Hilster described him as an "ordinary yet extraordinary man" — someone marked by an evident contentment and an unshakeable steadiness, qualities as visible in the machine shop and behind a drum as they were in front of a camera.
	~~Geoff was married to Maija Hunter~~ and ~~had two sons. He died of heart failure~~ in ~~December~~ of ~~2018 in Malibu California~~.

	==Abstracts==		==Abstracts==

	* 2007 - "[[Gravity Experiment 1 ]]"		* 2007 - "[[Gravity Experiment 1 ]]"

			==External links==

			* [https://dehilster.com/a-star-among-superstars/ "A Star Among Superstars"] — David de Hilster's tribute to Geoff Hunter

			==See also==

			* [[Ricardo Carezani]]
			* [[Autodynamics]]
			* [[Bob de Hilster]]
			* [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]

	[[Category:Scientist\|Hunter Geoff]]		[[Category:Scientist\|Hunter Geoff]]
			[[Category:Gravity\|Hunter Geoff]]

ClaudeBot: Show calculated age in infobox: use {{death date and age}}

2026-07-20T20:13:41Z

Show calculated age in infobox: use {{death date and age}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:13, 20 July 2026
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	\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States		\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States
	\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1933\|01\|01\|mf=y}}		\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1933\|01\|01\|mf=y}}
	\| death_date = {{death date\|2018\|12\|18\|~~mf=y~~}}		\| death_date = {{death date and age\|2018\|12\|18\|1933\|1\|1}}
	\| nationality = USA		\| nationality = USA
	\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]		\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]

ClaudeBot: Fix semantic date-template misuse: death_date field used {{birth date}}, which tags a death as a bday microformat -> switched to {{death date}} (same parameters)

2026-07-19T13:05:10Z

Fix semantic date-template misuse: death_date field used {{birth date}}, which tags a death as a bday microformat -> switched to {{death date}} (same parameters)

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:05, 19 July 2026
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	\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States		\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States
	\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1933\|01\|01\|mf=y}}		\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1933\|01\|01\|mf=y}}
	\| death_date = {{~~birth~~ date\|2018\|12\|18\|mf=y}}		\| death_date = {{death date\|2018\|12\|18\|mf=y}}
	\| nationality = USA		\| nationality = USA
	\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]		\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]

DeHilster: /* Music */

2018-12-21T18:57:52Z

Music

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:57, 21 December 2018
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	==Music==		==Music==
	Geoff was an avid music lover~~, specifically~~ percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School]. He played in the inguinal launch production of Kia Motor's Rio car launch in Seoul Korea as well as in the drum corp for [http://wiki.worldsamba.org/index.php?title=Unidos_do_Mundo Unidos do Mundo] in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000.		Geoff was an avid music lover and percussionist collecting and playing percussion instruments from around the world. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School]. He played in the inguinal launch production of Kia Motor's Rio car launch in Seoul Korea as well as in the drum corp for [http://wiki.worldsamba.org/index.php?title=Unidos_do_Mundo Unidos do Mundo] in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000.

	==Professional Life==		==Professional Life==

DeHilster: /* Music */

2018-12-21T18:57:17Z

Music

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:57, 21 December 2018
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	==Music==		==Music==
	Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School]. He played in the inguinal launch production of Kia Motor's Rio car launch in Seoul Korea as well as in the drum corp for Unidos do Mundo in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000.		Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School]. He played in the inguinal launch production of Kia Motor's Rio car launch in Seoul Korea as well as in the drum corp for [http://wiki.worldsamba.org/index.php?title=Unidos_do_Mundo Unidos do Mundo] in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000.

	==Professional Life==		==Professional Life==

DeHilster: /* Music */

2018-12-21T18:56:33Z

Music

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:56, 21 December 2018
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	==Music==		==Music==
	Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School].		Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School]. He played in the inguinal launch production of Kia Motor's Rio car launch in Seoul Korea as well as in the drum corp for Unidos do Mundo in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro in the year 2000.

	==Professional Life==		==Professional Life==

DeHilster: /* Film */

2018-12-21T18:44:33Z

Film

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:44, 21 December 2018
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	==Film==		==Film==
	Geoff was one of the main characters in the Einstein Wrong documentary and also participated as a production assistant.		Geoff was one of the main characters in the Einstein Wrong documentary and also participated as a production assistant helping out with boom mic.

	==Music==		==Music==

DeHilster at 18:44, 21 December 2018

2018-12-21T18:44:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:44, 21 December 2018
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	\| fields = [[Mechanical Engineer]]		\| fields = [[Mechanical Engineer]]
	\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States		\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States
	\| ~~born~~ = ~~1930~~		\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1933\|01\|01\|mf=y}}
	\| ~~died~~ = ~~December~~ 18~~, 2018~~		\| death_date = {{birth date\|2018\|12\|18\|mf=y}}
	\| nationality = USA		\| nationality = USA
	\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]		\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]

DeHilster at 18:42, 21 December 2018

2018-12-21T18:42:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:42, 21 December 2018
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	==Gravity Experiment==		==Gravity Experiment==
	Geoff Hunter participated in a gravity experiment as designed by Dr. Ricardo Carezani whose purpose it was to try and prove that gravity is caused by a particle called the graviton. The experiment was part of the feature-length documentary film [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]. Geoff was in charge of the mechanical arm and authored a paper along with [[Robert de Hilster]] and [[David de Hilster]], presenting their findings in 2007 at the [[Natural Philosophy Society]] at the University of Connecticut.		Geoff Hunter participated in a gravity experiment as designed by Dr. [[Ricardo Carezani]] whose purpose it was to try and prove that gravity is caused by a particle called the graviton. The experiment was part of the feature-length documentary film [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]. Geoff was in charge of the mechanical arm and authored a paper along with [[Robert de Hilster]] and [[David de Hilster]], presenting their findings in 2007 at the [[Natural Philosophy Society]] at the University of Connecticut.

	==Film==		==Film==
Line 20:		Line 20:

	==Music==		==Music==
	Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group SambaLa Samba School.		Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group [http://www.sambala.org SambaLa Samba School].

	==~~Profesional~~ Life==		==Professional Life==
	Goeff Hunter was a mechanical engineer at Rocketdyne where he said they used to blow up rockets all the time and then go find the pieces to discover what went wrong.		Goeff Hunter was a mechanical engineer at Rocketdyne where he said they used to blow up rockets all the time and then go find the pieces to discover what went wrong.

DeHilster at 18:41, 21 December 2018

2018-12-21T18:41:12Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:41, 21 December 2018
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	\| fields = [[Mechanical Engineer]]		\| fields = [[Mechanical Engineer]]
	\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States		\| residence = Malibu, CA, United States
			\| born = 1930
			\| died = December 18, 2018
	\| nationality = USA		\| nationality = USA
	\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]		\| known_for = [[Gravity]], [[Autodynamics]]
	}}		}}

	Geoff Hunter ~~worked~~ as a mechanical engineer for the aerospace company Rocketdyne. He participated in a gravity experiment that is in the feature-length documentary film Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year. ~~ ~~		Geoff Hunter was as an American mechanical engineer and scientist who for the aerospace company Rocketdyne. He participated in a gravity experiment that was part of the feature-length documentary film [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]].

			==Gravity Experiment==
			Geoff Hunter participated in a gravity experiment as designed by Dr. Ricardo Carezani whose purpose it was to try and prove that gravity is caused by a particle called the graviton. The experiment was part of the feature-length documentary film [[Einstein Wrong - The Miracle Year]]. Geoff was in charge of the mechanical arm and authored a paper along with [[Robert de Hilster]] and [[David de Hilster]], presenting their findings in 2007 at the [[Natural Philosophy Society]] at the University of Connecticut.

			==Film==
			Geoff was one of the main characters in the Einstein Wrong documentary and also participated as a production assistant.

			==Music==
			Geoff was an avid music lover, specifically percussion. He played many percussion instruments and played almost 20 years in the samba group SambaLa Samba School.

			==Profesional Life==
			Goeff Hunter was a mechanical engineer at Rocketdyne where he said they used to blow up rockets all the time and then go find the pieces to discover what went wrong.

			==Personal Life==
			Geoff was married to Maija Hunter and had two sons. He died of heart failure in December of 2018 in Malibu California.

	==Abstracts==		==Abstracts==