June Sybil Greer was born in Riverside, California on July 23, 1927, two months and two days after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic.She was the first-born child of Carr Greer and Margaret Meikle. Her sister and two brothers followed in short order as her father found employment with the Santa Fe Railroad and the family moved to homes in Arizona and New Mexico, following the development of the railroad. They then moved to Provo in 1942, where June’s father became the chief of construction for BYU and the Provo Temple. The family had settled down in Utah Valley for good.June graduated from BY High School and then attended BYU, spending her formative years at her home less than a block south of campus. She worked at the BYU Press and was very active in campus activities. At school she met Douglas Brown from Springville. Doug had landed with the U.S. troops in Normandy in 1944 and was a decorated veteran. They courted for a year and a half and were married in the Salt Lake temple in April 1949.Their oldest child Bruce was born a year later and, in an unusual twist, June’s mother gave birth to June’s baby brother two years later. This meant that Bruce had an uncle two years his junior.Doug had a master’s degree in bacteriology as was selected to join a BYU group helping the country of Iran recover from the destruction of World War II. The young family set off for a life in a strange land, but with many familiar friends from BYU who had also received a similar assignment. In the small fishing village of Babolsar, Iran on (no kidding!) the kitchen table, June gave birth to her second child, a girl they named Denise. Adding to the unusual aspect of the event, Denise was born on Bruce’s third birthday! Denise became a U.S. citizen when she turned 18, but she did have the choice.No sooner had they returned stateside than Doug landed a position with the U.S. State Department and was assigned to Benghazi, Libya. (Yes, THAT Libya!) June was pregnant with her third and he was scheduled to be born in Libya, but the doctor at home in Provo advised waiting. Burke, now a familiar figure in the halls of Jamestown as he checks in on his mom, was born in Provo immediately before the family move. Family and many friends now know him as Wiggy.June showed herself to be very adaptable to foreign adventure, keeping house, raising children, even directing the activities of a gardener, a maid and houseboy. She and Doug thrived and after two years were transferred to Libya’s other main city, Tripoli. The difference was that Tripoli had Wheelus Field, an American Air Force base with many (OK, some) of the comforts of home.Living in this part of the world and having access to free military transportation, the family was able to travel throughout Europe, including the Swiss Temple dedication in 1955 and the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.
After coming back to the U.S. for the final time, Doug received a scholarship for an advanced degree at the University of California at Berkeley and their last child, Boyd, was born there. Doug’s work in public health in the Middle East, in California and for the State of Utah was ended early when his Multiple Sclerosis forced him into early retirement. June picked up the slack, received her teaching degree and became the family bread-winner as a teacher.First at Payson High School and then for over 20 years at Utah Technical College (now UVU) she gained a reputation as someone students loved to learn from. To this very day she encounters former students who remember her classes fondly. She initiated the Business English program there and was a major force in helping this technical school attain university status. June represented the school as faculty advisor when her student competed successfully in professional development contests in Utah and throughout the U.S. Her well-trained team regularly dominated these events.June didn’t only travel professionally, but also with a close group of friends from high school. Although they lived in different states, they met regularly for holidays in various locations including Oregon, New York, Japan, Australia and Europe. All told, June has visited over 40 states and more than 20 countries.MS took Doug from June in 1973, but she soldiered on, sending a son on a mission and helping all four children with their schooling. June is today the grandmother of sixteen and great-grandmother of eighteen. Naturally, they don’t all visit often enough, but she loves her friends and the staff here at Jamestown.
