Green, Craig

Craig Green, of Blacksburg, died on August 26, 2013, from medical complications following a long period of illness and declining health. He was 59 years old. In his last years he put up a hard battle against three serious diseases: esophageal cancer, heart failure, and diabetes. Craig was born in Glendale, Calif., and grew up in nearby West Covina, where he graduated from Edgewood High School. He studied at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. His life’s work was in the field of computer technology. His early career in the 1970s began as an employee of Wang Laboratories followed by employment as a computer specialist in the banking industry. He formed his own computer consulting company in the early 1980s. In 1993 he founded the company VCS Computers which he moved from Indiana to Blacksburg, Va, in 1995. He was President of VCS Computers from its inception to the time of his death. VCS built, sold, maintained and serviced computers for the local community and members of many incoming classes of Virginia Tech students. He was an ardent follower of his beloved UCLA Basketball Bruins and became an enthusiastic fan of Virginia Tech sports after his move to Blacksburg. He loved to sing and had a lifelong passion for playing the guitar. Around the year 2000, Craig became computer consultant to the elderly Professor I. J. (Jack) Good. Working with Alan Turing, Good had pioneered code-breaking computers at Bletchley Park in England during World War II. Craig supplied Good with a home lap top computer, set him up on the Internet, and explained how to use it. Craig loved to tell the story that there had been one occasion when he asked Professor Good for his password to which request the computer pioneer jocularly responded that he could tell Craig his password but he would then “have to kill him.” Craig was a fine and decent human being who enjoyed the loyalty and admiration of his friends. He is much missed. He is survived by his mother, Nellie Thurman of West Covina, Calif.; his brother, Glenn (wife Karen); and step-nieces and nephews.