The Girl from the Bakery

About the Book

Most of this book was written by Loretta Betke Greeley, the above author’s wife, when she was still alive. Hence the Frontispiece “Her Story.” She describes her life from birth in 1928 to retirement in 1993 with emphasis on her early life when her parents were running a bakery in the Ridgewood Section of Queens, NY. She provides a very detailed and instructive section on the incredible activities that are required to have a successful bakeshop. She goes on to describe her apartment which will be interesting to so many people now living in single-family homes. Her delightful times at the beaches in New York City during the 1930’s and 40’s, and her fascination with dolls will also be of historical interest. Her notes on a “Three-Generational” Household and on Retirement round out her life story.

About the Author

The author is tenth in direct paternal line from the original immigrant from England to America in 1638. He attended public schools in Framingham, Massachusetts, through high school and then attended Harvard College, graduating in 1949 with a BS in chemistry. He obtained an MS in physical chemistry from Northwestern University in 1951, as a midshipman in the NROTC while living with his aunt and uncle in Winnetka, Illinois. He met his future wife, Loretta Betke, at a party in Winnetka, and they were married in June 1951. He immediately began his service in the US Navy aboard the USS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) during the Korean War, seeing action behind enemy lines. He left the Navy in 1954 and worked for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where he obtained a PhD in physical chemistry with a minor in nuclear engineering, He then worked for the Mitre Corporation in Bedford, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC; R. F. Weston Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania; and then formed his own firm, the Greeley-Polhemus Group Inc. in 1982. He focused his work on alternative energy systems (non–fossil fuels) and environmental protection throughout his career. He and his wife had two sons, and they each have two grandchildren. His wife died in November 2012. He now devotes his time to writing as well as further activities in alternative energy projects.