| Abstract |
Admiral Greene was born in Linville, NC and graduated from East Carolina Teachers College in 1973. Greene joined the Naval Reserves after Pearl Harbor and served on the USS Hanover, USS Burdo, USS James C. Owens, United States Naval Academy, USS Nicholas, USS Mitscher, USS Tabberer, USS Joseph Strauss, USS Ponchatoula, USS William H. Stanley, Bureau of Naval Personnel, and the Naval Inshore Warfare Command. After retiring from the Navy, he worked as the Executive Director of the North Carolina State Ports Authority. Admiral Greene also discusses the admission of women into the Naval Academy and their service on Navy ships. |
| General note | Interviewer: H. A. I. Sugg. Interview date: June 2, 1999. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
William M. Greene Oral History Interview (#OH0178), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Repository does not own copyright to the oral history collection. Permission to cite, reproduce, or broadcast must be obtained from both the repository and the participants in the oral history, or their heirs. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of William M. Greene. |
| Biographical note | William Morris Arl Greene (June 17, 1920-December 8, 2007) was born in Linville, Avery County, North Carolina, to Carl B. Greene and Naomi C. Gragg Greene. He graduated from Crossnore School in 1937, attended Brevard College, and received his B.S. degree in Physical Education from East Carolina Teachers College in 1943. He then entered the U.S. Navy through the Naval Reserve Midshipmen School at Northwestern University in Chicago and was commissioned an ensign in December 1943. Later education included the U.S. Naval War College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and earning a Master's in International Affairs from George Washington University (1967). His naval service included World War II service at the Naval Amphibious Base at Fort Pierce (Florida) and aboard the USS Hanover (as 1st Lieutenant). Post-war service included operations officer with the Atlantic Fleet aboard the USS Burdo (1947-1948) and the USS James C. Owens (1948-1950), staff commander with Amphibious Group 4 (1951-1952), instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy (1952-1954), executive officer aboard the USS Nicholas (1954), with BUPERS (1955), executive officer aboard the USS Mitscher (1956-1957), commanding officer aboard the USS Tabberer (1957-1958), at the U.S. Naval Academy (1958-1962), commanding officer aboard the USS Joseph Strauss (1962-1964), and with the Office of Chief of Naval Operations (1964-1967). He then attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (1966-1967), subsequently serving as commanding officer aboard the fleet oiler USS Ponchatoula (1967-1968) and the guided missile frigate USS William H. Standley (1968-1970). In 1970 Greene was selected for the rank of Rear Admiral and became Director of Navy Recruiting with BUPERS. In 1971 the Navy Recruiting Command was created and he became its first commander. He became Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 4 and Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force Atlantic Representative (1972), assumed command of the Naval Inshore Warfare Command, Atlantic (1973), and retired in 1973. After retiring from the U.S. Navy, Greene was general manager at Marine and Industrial Wholesale Distributorship until 1977 when he was appointed executive director of the North Carolina State Ports Authority, a positition he held until 1985. He subsequently established tihe Small Business and Technology Development Center at East Carolina University in 1986. He was married to Virginia Ann Cooke (May 10, 1924-December 17, 2016) of Greenville, North Carolina, in 1944, and they had children Virginia Ruth Greene, Carolyn Greene Myers and William M. A. Greene, Jr. |
