Robert Greene – Bio

Robert “Bob” Greene for President Biography

Robert Greene was born just across the Massachusetts line in Lowell. He attended Lowell High School and graduated with a BS in physics from UMass Lowell (at that time, Lowell Technological Institute). He ventured west to earn a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wyoming. When asked about how growing up middle class in Lowell shaped him, Bob points to two underlying influences. “In those days, Lowell was still economically depressed from the decline of the textile mills.

On the other hand, my teen years coincided with John F. Kennedy’s presidency. What kid didn’t dream of making a significant impact on the world? For me that meant improving the lives of all in the US and beyond.”

“I finished graduate school during a recession. There weren’t many jobs in my field. I had spent a fair amount of time in the computer lab, so I tried my hand finding a programming job. I joined Wang Laboratories on the Wang Word Processor team and helped bring it to product announcement. It was an exciting time.

The word processor and the Office Information System introduced an age of what you see is what you get, before graphic displays. It was the foundation of all the word processing we use today. This was a real step forward in computing. It was this technology that brought, on one extreme, secure systems for the Department of State and, on the other, dozens of scary Stephen King novels.” Point of clarification: Greene did not invent the Internet.

“At each career stop along the way, I tried to make a significant impact. For example, at Compugraphic, I was part of the team who negotiated with Hewlett Packard to include Compugraphic’s sizeable type into the HP LaserJet. At Gerber Scientific Instruments, by then VP of engineering, I helped seal the deal for a wide format scanning system that allowed digitization of existing parts for the Boeing 777 development. At Adobe, I directed the development of the highest speed Postscript processors, which were integrated with IBM print technology. I was also a co-founder of a start-up that developed plug-ins for Adobe Acrobat. I guess now that I am retired, I am still looking for a way to move society in a positive direction.”

Bob Greene has a rich relationship with New Hampshire. “I spent a lot of time here. I can’t count the number of summer trips to Seabrook, Hampton Beach, Rye and Wallis Sands. I spent a lot of time in the mountains skiing and hiking. I am even a graduate of a night ski league at Crotched Mountain. I may be the only one of the forty-four primary candidates who has climbed all 48 peaks on the 4000 ft club list. Ask me about a real funny story concerning a rowing race mishap out of Center Harbor on Lake Winnipesaukee. My ties include a sister who lives in Nashua and a brother who built a cabin in Pittsburg up near the First Connecticut Lake.”

“Politically I am center-left. I believe that the size of the government is dictated by the size of the task. We want no more and no less. Of course, that makes it difficult for us as citizens to evaluate what is the right size. Therefore, we need to elect trustworthy professionals who act in the best interest of the people. Adherence to someone’s dreamed up principle is often at odds with the general good. We need leaders who can think for themselves and do what is right. I am often amazed by the tone of some of the candidates. They can sound harsh, uncompassionate and punitive. And these folks call themselves ‘Christians’. My Catholic upbringing gave me a different concept of Christianity. I guess they missed church the day they talked about Christ’s teachings. I often wonder if this tone represents a lack of solution-oriented imagination on their part.”

“Why am I running? Well, I always had a pent up desire. But I needed a real reason. I needed something meaningful to say. And this year the opportunity arrived. The country continues to thrash around for a comprehensive energy plan. And not seeing a better way forward, they have adopted an ad hoc, shotgun approach. They are pursuing the alternative source-du-jour, some of which are to the detriment of the environment. In fairness, a reasonable alternative has not been given them and there is no serious discussion for comparison.”

“I am attempting to correct this situation. I am trying to raise the best alternative to the forefront, Thorium. It is the greenest, cheapest and perhaps the most abundant. Read more about it on this web site. I call it a “1000+ Year Energy Plan. The differences mean billions of dollars saved, a much cleaner environment, more jobs, and a more robust economy. It is non-partisan and national security at the most fundamental levels. My definition for success in this campaign is to educate, to start a serious energy alternative debate, and for the politicians to start using the right words, i.e., those including Thorium. Please help me by raising your voices and demand a real energy strategy debate. Thank you.”

Dr. Greene currently resides in Mountain View California with his wife Martha of 34 years, a special education teaching assistant. Their son Nick and daughter-in-law Cara live in San Francisco. Both are working and currently attending graduate school. Dr. Greene is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto.