Doctor Gerald Greene died in Santa Fe, New Mexico in November 2009. A long time Santa Fe resident, he was born in New York City in 1914. He went to Harvard Medical School; then served in the Navy in the Pacific for two years of active duty.
After several years of employment at a Naval Hospital as an orthopedic surgeon and, after his discharge, two more years in orthopedic training, he practiced that specialty for thirty-four year in Hartford Connecticut, where he and his wife Frankie attended Friends Meeting. During that time, Frankie and he, both lovers of good food, opened and supervised two restaurants in nearby towns. (Later they became known to be the people to ask about the best restaurants in Santa Fe.)
Dr. Greene, a man of many talents and interests, was valued as a consultant at various rehabilitation and state hospitals and was on the staff of both the Hartford Hospital and Newington Hospital for Crippled Children. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Hartford School of Music.
After a distinguished career, he and Frankie moved to Santa Fe where he volunteered at the Wheelwright Museum. They moved to El Castillo Retirement Residences in 1990 -- after he had already served as a member of the Board of Directors. In their first floor apartment stood an adobe structure with many nichos. Here were displayed the little decorated animals, made on his potter’s wheel, that he called “anamalicules.”
Santa Fe Friends will remember the Greenes as generous supporters of the Meeting. An Indian blanket, restored and now mounted as a gift from the Greenes, graces the meeting house. Santa Fe Friends also appreciate their generous gift to the Meeting of folding chairs with padded seats. They were frequent attenders, but the necessity of getting back to El Castillo in time for lunch limited their visiting time with other Friends. One Santa Fe Friend fondly remembers their cordiality in the early 1990s when they also showed her their healthy small garden behind the living room. His legacy is rich and deep, and his presence will be missed.
Besides Elizabeth (Frankie), his wife of 68 years, he leaves one daughter, Michele; and two sons, Eric and Dennis; as well as five grandchildren scattered around the world.