Robert Lincoln GREENBERG

GREENBERG
Robert Lincoln, formerly of Englewood, born February 12, 1927 in Brooklyn, NY died January 6, in So. Hadley, MA.
Bob, as he was known, considered his Brooklyn Technical H.S. education so thorough that he breezed through Cornell U. where he received a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Before graduating, he took a leave of absence to serve as a mechanic in the Army Air Force on B25s. Upon reenlistment he was sent to postwar Germany, where still in his teens, he was assigned to run a factory. His fluency in German resulted in his often being assumed to be a local. His knowledge of Hebrew came in very handy when he arranged a Seder in a barn for Jewish survivors of concentration camps who were living in a displaced person's camp. He never forgot that experience.
In 1954, Bob settled in Englewood with his first wife, Sandy Greenberg, who later became a mayor of that city, raised their three children, and in the thirty-three years he lived in Englewood, amassed an extraordinary number of accomplishments in the professional, civic, and personal areas of his life.
As a V.P. of National Equipment Union Standard Corp., he was in charge of design and production of the machines that made America's favorite candles and baking supplies. Some of his many patents were for the machines that made Nestle's $100,000 Bars, Mike n Ike's Dots, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Red Hot Dollars and Chocolate Chips. His children called him the original Willy Wonka.
During the Civil Rights era, he was a freedom rider with Rev. Robert I. Miller who went on to become Englewood's first Democratic mayor since 1902. Bob Greenberg asked his friend, Rabbi Irwin Blank, to join in the effort to integrate eating establishments in the South. The Rabbi considered his participation a high light of the years he served as a spiritual leader of Temple Sinai in Tenafly.
A strong advocate of school integration, Bob attracted the attention of a Civil Rights Activist, Shirley Lacy, after he wrote a letter to the editor strongly critical of Republication intransigence. She, And an Englewood B'nai B'rith representative, David Gilbert, met in the Greenberg living room to plan an alliance of like minded people and facilitate reasonable discussion with nay-sayers. Thus the Human Relations Council was born and hundreds of residents talked peacefully with each other at round tables during three sessions. Rev. Miller gained a reputation for integrity and leadership very quickly at the meetings.
So the Democrats had a cause, a candidate, and a broad base of support. But they couldn't win elections until Bob made it his mission to get the 88 votes, by which Miller lost his first mayoral run. Bob assured Miller a victorious subsequent campaign for mayor.
Bob made a separate information sheet for each residential unit, after he gathered every address by driving around the city for weeks. In those days, this kind of public information was not available to Democrats by Republican City Hall. Then by getting information wherever he could, Bob listed the names and ages of all the people in each unit. The information was transferred to data processing cards by feeding it into computers made available at NYU by the department head, an ardent Democrat who lived in Englewood and proudly claimed it was the first time in America that computers were used to increase voter registration. The cards were distributed to activist who worked until all potential Democrats were registered to vote.
With only half the jobs done, Bob devised a system with Byron Baer, who went on to become a State Senator, to be sure all the registered Democrats voted. He created the new tools for each district which helped bring out a vote of 90% in some parts of the city, putting Robert I. Miller in the mayor's seat at last. When a mere 16 votes gave the Democrats a City Council majority, the Republicans challenged the results in court. It was Bob's thorough records that supplied the proof Sylvia Pressler, later a judge in the State Supreme Court's Appellate Division, needed to validate the challenged voters and win the case. The rest is history.
Bob devoted a lot of time to construction. He altered every part of his house, inside and outside, designing and building by himself. A tree house, a swimming pool set into a hill side, a replica of a large play structure he had seen in the Museum of Modern Art, and a unique outdoor addition to the houses front entrance graced the property. He even built alterations for friends.
For a few years, he went to Columbia University at night and received a Masters in Engineering. He always managed to fit in hiking, skiing and what he called "get-lost trips," and travel with his family, often to candy factories. Aware that he was a very busy father, Bob seized upon an opportunity to become the Scoutmaster of his son's troop when it was left leaderless, so he could spend more time with him. For three years he led the youngsters on adventurous trips, including backpacking, camping, rock climbing, and canoeing. Then, as chairman of the Recreation Advisory Committee, he set up a group dubbed the Milanos after a cookie and introduced teenagers to the fun of horseback riding, skiing, etc. He enjoyed seeing kids, many of whom lived with a level of racial tension, letting it all go and enjoying the sounds of nature instead of the radio.
During this time period, Bob was honing his skills as a mountain climber and reached many summits, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Gokyo Ri, an 18,000 foot base camp of Everest. As an Environmental Commissioner, he worked with Pricilla McKenna, one of the founders of Flat Rock Brook Nature Center which, as its membership expanded, gave Bob a chance to organize an adult group of outdoor enthusiasts, whom he led on adventure trips. He served the center as a trustee and treasurer, maintained the trails, and produced a lengthy document analyzing the functioning and the problems of the mechanical systems of the educational building.
Following his divorce in 1981, he continued climbing on several continents, returning to his favorite location, Nepal, for a 36 day trek and another 18,000 foot climb. Upon retirement, he moved to Massachusetts to be closer to his children and grandchildren. There he built alterations and addition for their homes. He then met and married Marguerite Davol, a writer of literature for young adults, who predeceased him. They had traveled extensively and he continued trekking and climbing until 2000 when his Parkinson's disease made his legs too weak to trek and a helicopter dropped him off in the Canadian Rockies for his last hike. Ms. Davol cared for him until her death, and then he was cared for by very loving caregivers for whom the family was very grateful.
Bob was the son of Samuel and Miriam (Goldstein) Greenberg.
He is survived by his brother, Arthur Greenberg of Westport, Conn.; his sister, Joyce Wotman of West Palm Beach, FL; his three children, Ricki Carroll and her husband Jamie Eckley of Ashfield, Peter Greenberg of Albany, OR, and Marcy Schepker and her husband Hans Schepker of Harrisville, NH; four grandchildren, Jennifer (Carroll) Novak and her husband Jason Novak, Sarah Carroll and her husband Mark Chrabascz, Adam Schepker and his fiancée Tracy Grissom and her son Keller and Andrea Miller and her husband Rick Miller and their daughter Jessica, and his extended family, the Davol's, Sarah and her husband R.J., John and his wife Tabby and children, Steve and Nicole, Sue and her husband Todd and children, Jesse and Hanna.
A celebration of his life will be held in South Hadley at 124 College St., on Feb. 23rd, at 12 PM. Friends and family are all invited to rejoice in Bob's life.
Donations in his name may be made to the South Hadley Fire Department # 2 for their thoughtful and loving help in getting Bob in and out of his condo when he could no longer climb that mountain by himself.