Exhibit 99.1

           GENCORP ELECTS CHARLES F. BOLDEN TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS;
                            ROBERT A. WOLFE TO RESIGN

     SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GenCorp Inc.
("GenCorp" or the "Company") announced today that Charles F. Bolden, Jr. has
been elected to join its board of directors effective January 1, 2005. The
Company also announced that Robert A. Wolfe is resigning as a director effective
December 31, 2004.

     Mr. Bolden has extensive military, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration ("NASA") as well as private industry experience. He retired from
the U.S. Marine Corps as a Major General serving as the Commanding General of
the Third Marine Aircraft Wing. During Mr. Bolden's 34-year military career he
served in a number of Marine Corps senior officer positions including: Deputy
Commanding General, 1MEF, Marine Forces, Pacific; Commanding General, 1 MEF
(FWD) for Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait; and Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces,
Japan. He also spent 13 years as an astronaut and space shuttle pilot, logging
over 680 hours and flying four space missions including the Discovery flight
that successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope and the Atlantis flight
that was the first joint U.S./Russian space shuttle mission. Mr. Bolden also
served as Assistant Deputy Administrator for NASA and Deputy Commandant of the
U.S. Naval Academy. He has received a number of military and NASA decorations.

     After his retirement from the military in 2003, Mr. Bolden was named
president and chief operating officer of American PureTex Water Corporation and
PureTex Water Works. He is currently senior vice president of TechTrans
International, a company established to support the joint Russian/U.S. space
program providing Russian translation, interpretation, language training and
logistics services to the NASA Johnson Space Center.

     Mr. Bolden, 58, lives in Houston, Texas. He received his masters in systems
management from the University of Southern California (USC), and a bachelor's
degree from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test
Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md., and has received honorary doctorates from
several distinguished universities. He serves on the board of directors of
Marathon Oil Company and as a trustee of USC.

     "Charles will be a great addition to our board," said Terry Hall, GenCorp's
chairman, president and chief executive officer. "His extensive military and
NASA experience, as well as his management and organizational background, will
be valuable assets for GenCorp as we continue to execute our strategy of
streamlining our Company and focusing on the growth of our aerospace and defense
segment."



     Mr. Bolden will be joining the board as an independent director, replacing
Robert Wolfe who has been a non-independent member of GenCorp's board for 6
years. Mr. Wolfe has also served as president of Aerojet-General Corporation and
chairman, president and chief executive officer of GenCorp. "Bob has made a
significant contribution to the Company and this board," said Mr. Hall.

     About GenCorp
     GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense
products and systems with a real estate business segment that includes
activities related to the development, sale and leasing of the Company's real
estate assets. Additional information about the Company can be obtained by
visiting the Company's web site at http://www.GenCorp.com .

SOURCE  GenCorp Inc.
    -0-                             12/17/2004
    /CONTACT:  investors, Yasmin Seyal, senior vice president and chief
financial officer, +1-916-351-8585, or media, Linda Cutler, vice president,
corporate communications, +1-916-351-8650, both of GenCorp Inc.; or Judith
Wilkinson or Jeremy Jacobs, both of Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher,
+1-212-355-4449, for GenCorp Inc./
    /Web site:  http://www.gencorp.com /