CAD authority, association leader Joe Greco dies at age 41

CADalyst, Jan, 2005

With great sadness we report that Cadalyst contributing editor Joe Greco died on December 7, 2004. He suffered cardiac arrest on December 2 while on vacation in Hawaii with his wife, photographer Heather Kadar, and Heather's parents. He was 41 years old.

A familiar name in CAD circles for many years, Joe joined Cadalyst as a contributing editor after our merger with Cadence last year. He wrote the MCAD Tech News e-mail newsletter along with reviews of mechanical design and analysis software.

Joe was known for his hands-on expertise with an impressive range of design programs. He subjected each to rigorous review and was scrupulous in pointing out both the strengths and the drawbacks he encountered. Joe, who began his career as an end user and CAD manager, always kept the needs of manufacturing engineers and designers in mind. We'll miss the enthusiasm that infused his work and the many ideas he had for better serving our readers.

Joe was also president of the CAD Society, a not-for-profit industry association with the goal of fostering a sense of community and encouraging open communication among those who make a living within the CAD industry. The annual CAD Society award for fostering community will be renamed in Joe's memory, and a scholarship fund is being established in his name at: The CAD Society, 8220 Stone Trail Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20817-4556.

Born in Manhattan in 1963, Joe was raised primarily in Brooklyn and Queens. He graduated from the New York Institute of Technology in 1985 with a degree in architecture. Early in his career, he helped found two computer industry publications, the CAD CAM Journal for the Macintosh User and Macintosh-Aided Design. He moved to Arizona in 1994, and in 2002 he and his wife built a home in Flagstaff based on his own designs.