Howard Arthur Greis

HOLDEN – Howard Arthur Greis, 85, of Holden, passed away suddenly during the evening of April 21, 2011.

He was predeceased by his wife Virginia Peyton Chivers Greis and his brother, William F. Greis, formerly of Malverne, NY. He is survived by four children: Noel Peyton Greis and her husband, Henry Greenside, of Chapel Hill, NC, Frederick Eynon Greis and his wife, Theresa Greis, of Madison, NJ, Leslie Endres Greis of Cambridge, MA and Carolyn Angle Greis and her husband, Neil Nott, of Chevy Chase, MD, and seven grandchildren; Virginia, Kathryn and Frederick Greis; Arthur and Peyton Greenside; and Elijah and Elinor Nott.

Howard was an active businessman, entrepreneur and prolific inventor throughout his life. At the time of his passing, Howard was President of Kinefac Corporation, a company that he and his wife founded in 1962. Kinefac Corporation specializes in metal forming technology and is based in Worcester, MA, with offices in Shanghai, China. Its operating divisions have capabilities ranging from the forming of wire coils for medical devices to the manufacture of dies and centrifuges used in metalworking. Under his leadership, Kinefac machines are currently operating on all continents of the globe, including Antarctica. His designs can be seen in precision parts for a diverse set of products including mine roof bolts, dental drills, nuclear power plant tie rods, airplane fasteners and catheter guide wires. The glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris is supported by a joint system designed and rolled at Kinefac. The firm received the New England Small Business Association's Exporter of the Year award presented by Governor Weld.

Howard was the world's leading authority on the roll forming of metals and is the holder of numerous U.S. and foreign patents on metal forming and machining technology. A born innovator, he wrote many technical articles and papers on mechanical engineering and is the author of the definitive text on rolling technology.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, he was the son of Wilhelmina Endres and Frederick Adam Greis who was the Mayor of Lynbrook (Long Island), New York for 26 years. Howard graduated from East Rockaway High School, NY whereupon he enlisted in the Navy and was called to active duty in World War II. He entered Brown University under the Navy V-12 program prior to attending midshipmen's school at Notre Dame University. He graduated first in his class and was commissioned as an ensign. He was stationed at the Naval Ordnance Lab in Washington, DC where he developed rocket fuses. He returned to Brown where he was a three-sport athlete and met his future wife Virginia. He received a Bachelors of Science degree, magna cum laude, in mechanical engineering from Brown in 1948 and was elected to Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi. He was active in the Brown Alumni Club throughout his life. Howard also earned a Masters in Science degree in mechanical engineering from Harvard University in 1949.

He began his career with International Projector Corporation before starting HAG & Associates where he developed new products in a variety of industries. He subsequently worked for Control Engineering, a division of Northrop, before becoming Chief Engineer at Reed Rolled Thread Die Company. He, along with his wife Virginia, started Control Molding Corporation in 1955.

In addition to running Kinefac, Howard has been a tireless advocate at the national level for the machine tool industry and for maintaining US competitiveness in science and technology, providing testimony to Congress and other federal groups. He was a founder and Chairman of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences in Ann Arbor, MI., the largest research and development consortium serving North American manufacturing. He was also Chairman of the Industry Advisory Committee to the US Department of Energy's National Machine Tool Builders Partnership Program. He also served on the Government Relations Committee of the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). Locally, he served as a director and Vice Chairman of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) and on the Advisory Board of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Howard received many industry awards and honors including the Brown Engineering Alumni Medal given by Brown University for lifetime contributions to the field of engineering.

Howard was deeply committed to education and schools. He was Chairman of the Wachusett Regional School Committee and was one of the original faculty members of the school's Science Seminar Program, which remains the longest running program for gifted students in Massachusetts public high schools. His involvement in local education led to his chairmanship of the committee to build the Mountview Junior High School in Holden, MA and to its later renovation. In 1976, he received a gubernatorial appointment from Governor King to serve a five-year term on the Massachusetts State Board of Education and was appointed for a second term by Governor Dukakis. During his tenure, he dealt with the difficult issues of desegregation and busing after the courts gave control of the Boston schools to this board. Howard also wrote a regular column called "The Business of Education" for Industry Magazine and promoted partnerships between schools and companies as a director of the Central Massachusetts Employer Association.

Howard was also a devoted husband and father and, above all, was most proud of his family. He and his wife Virginia shared a full life together, united by their entrepreneurial spirit and their commitment to each other and family. He and his wife lived in Holden for 50 years and were longstanding members of Epworth United Methodist Church in Worcester.

Calling hours will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. Relatives, friends and guests are also invited to a memorial service to celebrate his life on Wednesday, April 27 at 12:30 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 64 Salisbury Street, Worcester, which will followed by a reception at Maxwell's Silverman's Toolhouse at 25 Union Street, Worcester. The burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Epworth Methodist Church Memorial Fund at the above address.

Website & Guestbook: www.milesfuneralhome.com