Long-time TACF Member and Woodbridge resident Dr. Robert A. Gregg, passed away November 28th after a long and active life at 94 years of age. Robert was active and involved in his many passions to the end! Dr. Gregg was a member of the CT Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation since 2001, and a Director for the past eight years. He was also a Director and recently President of the Woodbridge Land Trust. Dr. Gregg had been instrumental in the acquisition of land for the Trust's chestnut plantation which served the interest of both the Trust and American Chestnut Foundation. It was through work in reestablishing the American chestnut, that I met Robert.
Born in Dundee, Michigan, he received his MS and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. He joined what was to become Uniroyal, where he worked in various research and production capacities until his retirement in 1984. Throughout his career Dr. Gregg has been named as inventor on several patents, and authored or co-authored a number of scientific papers. He was a pioneer in establishing the mechanism of free radical polymerization now used to make billions of pounds a year of polymers. He was the inventor of the first commercial spandex and devised the rubber to wire adhesion system for steel-belted radial tires that keeps the rubber on the tire and off the road.
I had the opportunity to work closely with Robert in American chestnut restoration. Working with Robert was a pleasure, he always delivered what was expected or more. He served on the Nominations Committee of the CT Chapter for several years, and was the primary force behind a major rewrite of our Chapter's Bylaws. He also actively participated in the development of our Long Term Strategic Plan. He was seldom without an opinion, and I learned quickly to depend on him for keen insights. The photo at right was given to me by Robert, I believe in 2006 … I am not sure to whom credits should be attributed. It shows Robert some fifty to sixty feet high in a bucket truck amidst the branches of an American chestnut tree. This particular tree was either one he'd found on his own property in Woodbridge or one belonging to Joseph Calistro. It was a photo he really liked, and the type of view in which he'd liked to be remembered. On his own tree, he used various methods – including mud-packs – coaxing the tree to stay alive to produce produce flowers and be pollinated to produce nuts. He pollinated the flowers of that tree several times, successfully in 2009 – and subsequently harvested thirty-four nuts which have been planted and are growing in the TACF Backcross orchard at Nut Plains Park in Guilford. Robert confided to me that he knew the likelihood he would ever see those trees – the progeny of his tree flower – was slim. But he was nevertheless driven by the hope that he had a role in the success of restoring something so magnificent as the viability of a tree species. Robert was also directly involved in the creation of Woodbridge Land Trust Back-cross Orchard. Robert was not a passive conservationist. Stories of his opposing ill-conceived projects are legendary, specifically I'm thinking of CT Senate Bill 445. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to share a common vision with Robert and work with him towards bringing that vision to reality.
Bettina Theil from the Acorn Press wrote a very nice and much more extensive biography/obituary of Robert.
A memorial service has been set for Saturday, Dec. 15, at 11 a.m. at the First Church of Christ on Meetingshouse Lane, Woodbridge, CT. Coincidentally, walking distance from the Chestnut Backcross orchard on Beecher Road.
Contributed by Bill Adamsen
