Robert Grenzeback

Robert J. Grenzeback died June 23, 2011, at the age of 93. Born August 28, 1917 in Twin Falls, Idaho, he was a resident of Winchester for more than 60 years. He was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, earning a degree in Engineering. He was employed at Lockheed Aircraft Company before being asked to join MITs Radiation Laboratory where he was involved in the development of radar. Following this he worked on the design of Harvard Universitys Second Cyclotron, an early particle beam accelerator. In 1950 Mr. Grenzeback joined the D.S. Kennedy Company where he was vice president and chief engineer. The Kennedy Company became the worlds largest antenna fabricator by the late '50s. During his tenure at Kennedy, the Distant Early Warning (DEW) system deployed in Canada, similar systems in Greenland and the Aleutians Islands, as well the original 60-foot radio telescope in Harvard, MA, were projects on which he was a principal participant. Later he founded Systems Resources Corporation, where he continued to design and manufacture specialized communications reflectors and radomes using fiberglass composite materials. He retired in 1992 having had a number of patents awarded during his career. In Winchester, he served as Chairman of the Finance Committee, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Winchester Hospital, and spent three years on the Town Government Study Committee which resulted in the adoption of the Winchester Town Charter. He leaves his wife of forty years, Dr. Martha Cunningham Grenzeback, a former principal of several Winchester elementary schools. He was predeceased by his first wife, Bernadette (Rowland) Grenzeback, the mother of his two sons. He is survived by Winchester residents Lance R. Grenzeback, his wife Joan and their children Katie and Rob, and Richard R. Grenzeback, his wife Sally Patton and their children Sarah and Tyler. Burial at Wildwood Cemetery, Winchester will be private. Those wishing to commemorate his memory may make a contribution to their favorite charity in his name.