Robert E. Greenquist

1921 - 2005
Robert E. Greenquist, of Hackensack, NJ, formerly, for 45 years of Teaneck, died on Tuesday (March 1, 2005). He was 83. A brilliant, accomplished man, much loved by his friends and family, his loss is deeply felt.

He was born in Chelsea Mass. on March 30, 1921, raised in Everett Mass. he graduated from Everett High School in 1939 where he lettered in track and field. He was also a champion cyclist with the Worchester cycle club. Offered a complete academic tuition scholarship to Tufts University upon graduation, he was unable to attend due to constraints placed on freshman to live on campus, unable to afford the room and board he attended Northeastern University in Boston until joining the U. S. Army Air Corps as an officer with the 455tth Bomb Group from 1943-45. He was the Navigator on the "Leakin Deacon" a B24 bomber. He was shot down over Europe and became a prisoner of war for 11 months in Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan. He survived the infamous Moosburg death march and was liberated in Moosburg by Pattons 3rd Army in April of 1945. Upon return to the States he resumed his education and received a Masters of Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, Ny. in 1948.

At Cornell he met the love of his life, Tess Dellapenta. They were married August 12, 1948 and moved to the Bronx, He going to work for Western Union, she for Faberge. In New York City he became president of the prestigious Village Camera Club.
An expert in the burgeoning microwave radio engineering field, he helped oversee the transition of Western Unions antiquated analog technology. Bob had a pivotal role in the inception and successful induction of Western Union SpaceCom. He was project director for Western Unions successful bid to build the first domestic satellite system culminating in 1974 with the launch of Westar I, the first domestic communications satellite for America. By 1982, Western Union is the first company with five satellites in orbit. As Western Union slowly divested itself of its SpaceCom division he went on to assist the State Department and other U.S. government agencies as the technical expert negotiating important international radio spectrum treaties, frequently traveling to Geneva Switzerland for negotiations and Washington DC to testify before congress and the FCC. He retired in 1988 and pursued three of his greatest joys, photography, travel and navigating his Apple Mac.

An accomplished man, who overcame every challenge life provided, he often insisted his greatest accomplishment was convincing Tess, his wife of 59 years, to marry him one summer night on the front steps of a friend's house in Ithaca. He is survived by Tess Greenquist, his two children Lies Ellen Chartier of Creskill, NJ. and Kenneth Greenquist of Cheshire, CT. He was the loving and devoted grandfather of four grandchildren. Private memorial services were held in Teaneck on March 5th 2005.