William Edward Grieb Jr., longtime resident of Pacific Palisades and owner of the Palisades Letter Shop, passed away on November 15, after a long and heroic battle with lung cancer. He was 68. Bill was born in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 1938. He earned a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Roanoke College, a master’s degree in chemistry from George Washington University, and an MBA from American University. Bill began working at the National Institutes of Health in cancer research and genetics, broadening into grants management and computers. He was brought to California to work for System Development Corporation in scientific information handling. An entrepreneur at heart, Bill began his own consulting firm, System Interface Consultants, to interface between scientists and computer programmers. He developed one of the first personal computers, System 2100, and purchased and ran an aerospace machine shop, New Northern Engineering, as well as his latest endeavor, the Palisades Letter Shop. During his life Bill wrote several books, including ‘Small Business Computers Today and Tomorrow,’ ‘Your Option’ with Keith Kretschmer, a fun book, ‘Care and Feeding of Pet Executives,’ and his final book, ‘A Brief History of Life–From the Primordial Ooze to Genetically Engineered Species,’ which will be published in 2007. He relished the opportunity to expand and diversify his wealth of knowledge. This intellectual curiosity led him down many paths. Throughout his life Bill was an active member of Theatre Palisades, the Palisades Library Association, the Gemological Society, Southern California Killi Fish Group, the Palisades Americanism Parade Association, and AAAS, among many, many others. Bill was not only a rigorous intellectual, he was also quite a gregarious personality. Always at the center of any social gathering, Bill was known for regaling his friends and colleagues with his ‘shaggy-dog’ stories. His love of hosting a good party was so legendary that it earned him the honor of ‘Citizen of the Year’ from the Palisadian-Post for organizing a year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of Pacific Palisades. His salons brought together diverse artists and thinkers. The Pierson Playhouse stage served as a forum for him to share his love of life. Bill not only performed in many musicals and plays, but also wrote and performed his own one-man show, ‘The Apostles,’ in churches across the country. A memorial service was held yesterday, November 22, at the Community United Methodist Church in Pacific Palisades. Contributions in his memory can be made to the USC Gamma Knife Unit, Habitat for Humanity, or the Heifer Project. Bill Grieb is survived by his wife, Sylvia; his son William III (wife Stacy) of West Virginia; his son Robert (wife Brenda) and granddaughter Carly of Maryland; his daughter Sybil Grieb; his mother Virginia Grieb and sister Elizabeth Yancey of Florida, and his brother Robert of Pennsylvania. CAPTION: Bill Grieb, wearing the top hat he made familiar while masterminding the town’s year-long 75th Anniversary celebration in 1997, is congratulated by Palisadian-Post Publisher Roberta Donohue after receiving his Citizen of the Year award in 1998.
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