In Memory

Robert Gregory Austin - Class Of 1967

Deceased Alum: 1967 Robert Gregory Austin
Date Of Birth:
Date Deceased: June -2-1973
Age at Death: 24
Cause of Death:
Alum City:
Alum State:
Alum Country: USA
Was a Veteran: No
Survived By:



 
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05/22/13 01:36 PM #1    

Melanie McCabe (White) (1967)

 

Greg (Robert Gregory Austin) died June 2, 1973 in Berkeley, California. I cannot believe it has been 40 years since I received that terrible phone call.  Greg was in his second year of Medical School at UCSF when he died.  He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley and decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, thus ending up at UCSF.  He was an amazingly gifted musician (keyboards in The Victors) and writer and a very generous and loving person. I still miss him.  


06/04/13 06:47 PM #2    

Skip Colbert (1967)

I saw Greg twice after we gaduated from FHHS. The first time was at Melanie's parents' house in San Francisco, along with Melanie, who was at UCSC,Scott and Kim Spencer, who were both at UCSB, and I was at Stanford.. We all got together for a weekend. Then sometime later, probably in late 1970 or early 1971, I ran into Greg at a sandwich shop in Santa Barbara. Don't remember why he was in SB, but since I was without transportation, he offered to give me a lift back up to the Bay Area. He was still driving the blue MGB that he had in high school. I have a clear memory of this event because we left SB about 2:00 am, with the top down on the car and a surfboard strapped to the top of of the car, requiring me to "hunker down" in the passenger's seat for the 4+ hour trip back to the Bay Area! 70 mph up Hwy 101 in the middle of the night is cold. That ride was the last time I saw him. When I heard a couple of years later that he had passed away, it struck me pretty hard. I had always had a great deal of respect for Greg. He was intelligent, insightful and extremely talented in a number of ways. A real loss to those of us who were fortunate enough to know him.

 


06/21/17 05:36 PM #3    

Douglas Woodward (1967)

Sometimes the friends and family you'll never see again are the ones you miss the most.  Greg's passing was particularly troubling.  Like Melanie, I left William and Mary after my freshman year, and transferred to California.  I had the opportunity to see Greg several times in the Bay Area, and, only 3 weeks before he died, I visited with him to introduce him to my fiance, now my wife, Jeanne.  He was clearly not himself, and, he even made a pitch that he and I go into some business together.  I wish I had realized what was really going on at the time.  Thanks to Melanie, I escorted her mother and sister, Allison, to Greg's funeral at Fort Myer/Arlington 3 weeks after my visit in California.  I'm thankful I could personally deliver my condolences to his family and girlfriend.  He was a wonderful friend, and he's in my thoughts often.

Doug Woodward

 


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