James L. Greene

James Lincoln Greene, age 80, of Gainesville, FL, formerly of Madison, died on Sunday, December 19, 2010. He was born on February 12, 1930, in Madison, the son of George and Mildred Greene. Jim attended Franklin Elementary School and West High School. An avid athlete, Jim played volleyball (1948 state champs), baseball, basketball, football, and hockey (leading scorer and state champs in 1948). He was instrumental in helping to get high school hockey started in the Madison Public School in 1948. He went on to play right wing with the Madison Cardinals and later with the semipro Milwaukee Admirals.

Jim served his country in the United States Navy attached to the S.S. Roosevelt, Fleet Air Squadron Five out of Norfolk, VA. While in the service, he competed as undefeated middle weight champion boxer of his naval fleet.

While working full time and helping to raise three sons, Jim continued his undergraduate work in Mechanical Engineering at UW-Milwaukee. He took additional college study in computer science, business administration, and real estate. He also held a private pilots license with aerobatic training, and owned and operated a business called Airpool Travel International. For a while, he and his youngest son owned a twin engine Piper Apache which they used in his business.

Jims employment history includes: shining shoes and pressing clothes in his dads tailor shop and doing maintenance work at the Madison Bus Co. and the Gisholt Machine Shop. In 1950-1955, he became the first black machinist (a gear hobber) at a time when most blacks were held to foundry and yard labor status. Although he competed and placed in the top five ranks on all the exams (written, oral and physical) for the Madison Police Department in 1955; he was denied a position by the police chief who desired no blacks on the force. At that time, there were no laws on the books to protect qualified black applicants form racial discrimination. So, Jim moved to Milwaukee, qualified as a Milwaukee Fire Fighter (ranked #2), and inspector for General Electric, an engineer assistant for Allis Chalmers, and a computer operator for the Milwaukee tax department from 1955-1960. In 1960, Jim was appointed to supervise the entire installation of the Milwaukee Public Librarys data processing system. With this management experience, he returned in 1965 with his family to McFarland and Madison to work for state government as a management information specialist, where he worked until his retirement in 1985. There he had been responsible for all data processing operations at the old University Hospitals; for coordination and planning of the teleprocessing/communications systems and facilities of the state; for leadership in establishing and implementation of the states program planning budgeting system (PPBS); and as an Emergency Number Systems Manager was responsible for the installation of over 35 county and local ENSs. Jim was known as THE 911 Coordinator. In addition, Jim was co-founder and Executive Director of NENA (National Emergency Number Association) charged with implementing 911 nationwide. His team had gone to Washington D.C., the Executive Office of the President, and consulted with Ed Messe, then the US Attorney General, and received his staff support for establishing NENA. While handling these various professional duties, he also served as his State Division of Administrations AA Officer and Employee Assistance Counselor.

Throughout his life, Jim served as a volunteer with many local community organizations and his church, wherever he lived, including: UW Badger Buddy Program (Mike Reid of the Atlanta Falcons was his last buddy), NAACP (established an emergency cash fund for helping black citizens with bail bonds, food, clothing. etc.), United Way (executive budget committee), Urban League (Pal Program which introduced local youth to aviation), Boy Scouts of America (established a black explorers troop in St. Marks AME Church in Milwaukee), and state Employees Tennis League (founder and director 1980-1982). He was also a member of Negro Airmens International Chicago Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter Chairman of the Association of Computing Machinery, and Delta Delta Delta Engineering Fraternity.

Jim became interested in ambidexterity as it applied to tennis. He and his wife, Dolores, researched and wrote a manual called  Ambidextrous Tennis For Everyone, which highlighted natural tennis play and was published in 1979. Jim continued instruction in Natural Tennis in Madison, Freeport, Bahamas, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands and in Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Coast, FL and Gainesville, FL as a USPTA Certified professional since 1990. His Natural Tennis Association members are spread as far as  West Germany, Hawaii and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Besides tennis, jogging and flying across the US, Jim spent his first retirement years running his Amway Company, Commonwealth International, which was cut short due to a serious auto accident, which further disabled his wife. His most satisfying project was continuing to raise funds for young needy black high school youth by way of the George M. Greene, Sr. Scholarship Trust Fund. The fund was established in 1980 in memory of Jims father, a tailor, and was operated in conjunction with African Methodist Episcopal churches. The trust fund helped to send many youth on to college, started some in their own businesses, provided books, tools and in one case, a school bus, to further career aspirations. Jims work in the AME church also included serving as a  Sunday School Superintendent, heading an Evangelist program, helping to found the SS Morris Community AME Church and other Methodist endeavors such as serving on the Administrative Board and in the prison ministry of Christ Church, the United Methodist Church of Ft. Lauderdale, and with facilitating a Bible study group and CDL training ministry at First AME of Palm Coast, FL. His final church work was with the SW United Methodist after moving to Gainesville in 2002, prior to becoming a resident of Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, a CCRC, where he died on Sunday, December 19, 2010, overtaken by dementia.

Jim was a devoted and loyal Christian, always believed in God and His Son Jesus Christ. He studied the Bible and tried to pattern his life after its teachings. He strived to be worthy and believed fervently in life after death.

Survivors include his wife, Dolores (Simms) Greene, Gainesville, FL; sons: Gary (Theresa) Greene, Marietta, GA; David (Jocelyn) Greene, Madison; three grandchildren: Tiera, Clarissa, and Jordan. Also mourning his death is sister-in-law, Dr. Muriel L. Simms and nephew, Michael A. Simms, both of Madison; many other family and friends whose lives he touched.

Of particular note and pride, is the fact that Jims history goes back to 1848 in Wisconsin, when his ancestors, the John Greenes and the Charles Shepards, settled and integrated Pleasant Ridge Community in Grant County as freed people escaping from the southern slave states. It has been a source of inspiration for Jim and his wife of 60 years.

On Wednesday, January 5, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. Mr. Greene was buried in the family cemetery outside Lancaster. A memorial service will be held in Madison at a later date with Reverend Gregory Armstrong officiating. In lieu of plants and flowers, the family suggests memorials be sent to support the work of Jims founding church, SS Morris Community AME, 3511 Milwaukee St., Madison, WI 53714. The family promises that no future solicitation will be forthcoming from your donation. A special thank you to all the caring friends, neighbors and nursing staff that helped with his journeys end in comfort.