by Roger Petersen

{From the November, 2016 SVCB In Touch newsletter.}

When Bernice and I came to California in November, 1986, the only local person we knew was Chris Gray, and I went to work with him at TeleSensory Corp.,
formerly Telesensory Systems Inc. Chris introduced us to the local blind community immediately and one of the first people we met was Greg Fowler, along
with his partner, later his wife, Julie Lovins. They both embodied the happy combination of great intelligence combined with public spiritedness and advocacy.
Greg was always quiet, so sometimes we blind folk had some doubt whether he was there or not. But he was known by his deeds, particularly those related
to computers, his specialty.

In early 1987, a group of us got together to organize the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind as a chapter of the California Council of the Blind. In the
early years, Greg was always in the leadership group, serving some time as president. Later, he backed off from the chapter somewhat, but he was always
there when we needed him for something.

One of his interests has always been transportation and he and Bernice used to attend VTA and MTC meetings (Valley Transportation Authority and Metropolitan
Transportation Commission). Bernice tells the story that one time she could not go to the VTA meeting at the County Building, so she called Greg that evening
to find out what happened at the meeting. She discovered that on the way to the VTA meeting, Greg and Julie stopped by the county Clerk's office and got
married.

Greg was similarly helpful to other community organizations such as the local League of Women Voters, and he served on the board of the National Braille
Press. For several years, he has been serving on the Technical Operations Group in the California Council of the Blind, the group that takes care of all
the CCB's electronic functions, web, email lists, streaming, etc.

And he has been a personal friend to me, providing advice, equipment loan and other assistance. He and Julie took me to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy
in 1987 and, when I returned home, they presented me a t-shirt with a philosophical principle printed on it that I have always tried to live up to; "Life
is uncertain, so eat dessert first."

All of this good work stopped abruptly on September 25, 2016, when his heart stopped without warning. He was only 64 years old! We will miss you very much,
Greg!