Jack Greene
1949 – 17 March 2025
by Kevin Zucker
Jack Greene was a game designer and publisher, owner of Quarterdeck International, inducted into the Charles S. Roberts Hall of Fame in 1990. His designs include Destroyer Captain, Ironbottom Sound, and Bismarck Second Edition. Jack co-authored books on Rommel's North Africa Campaign, Hitler Strikes North and Ironclads at War.
I designed the game graphics for several of his designs during the 1980’s. At the same time I was doing graphics for 3W, who offered me a full-time position at their office in Cambria, CA. I decided to pay an extended visit to Cambria, and Jack put me up at his place. This was during the election of 1984. Jack’s daughter, Leilani, was five years old. Her parents had her trained to exclaim: "Monnale!" whenever the VP appeared on the tube.... Jack was amazed how connected he was to his daughter, that when he was sitting at his desk, he suddenly felt a jolt to his lip. He jumped up and found her about to chomp on an electrical cord! Her mother, Beth Queman, made me many grilled cheese sandwiches at lunchtime. That is a delicacy not everyone appreciates, but the bread has to be right and grilled to a golden brown. American Cheese makes the best GCS.
It was February, 1985, the weather on the coast was mild. Succulent plants were thriving along the cliffs. The people were friendly and laid-back, enjoying life, partying and skinny-dipping in their hot tubs—almost every house had one—living close to nature. The only sound was the surf advancing and receding and the wind in the pines. This sound was conducive to my musical inspiration and in those lovely days long symphonic movements with lush, full orchestration came through whole to my inner hearing.
One night I went to hear a band playing at a local pub with Jack. He said, “Hey, those two girls are looking at you, go say something to them.” Instead I returned to my girlfriend in stodgy old Baltimore, where things were not easy.
Jack and his wife “split the sheets,” as he put it, and Jack moved from California to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Jack wrote to me last September, “I got both my knees replaced so I am doing quite well.” In November, an article in the Vicksburg Post featured Jack.
Greene has had an interest in wargaming since 1959. “Three or four of us would get together almost every Friday and play at our friend’s house down the street. And then when I was in sixth grade, again on an overnight with some friends, I saw this. My friend and his brother had set up a game on Gettysburg,” Greene said. “And I was mesmerized by it. I was like, ‘Oh, this is wonderful’,” Greene said. “I was always into military stuff. I was always into history. So, it was a natural.” Greene has released several variations of a board game of his own design called Iron Bottom Sound, a series of tabletop wargames based on naval warfare in the Pacific theater during World War II. He also runs his own gaming company, Quarterdeck International, in which he produces and imports games.
Read more at:
https://www.vicksburgpost.com/2024/11/17/anyone-up-for-a-board-game/
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/199500/jack-greene-gamer-designer-historian-publisher
Update: Mar 20, 1:30 p.m. — Vicksburg Police Chief Penny Jones released the following statement:
On Monday, March 17, 2025, at approximately 12:56 PM, the Vicksburg Police Department responded to the 1400 block of Division Street regarding a death investigation. Upon arrival, officers and the Vicksburg Fire Department gained entry into the residence, where they discovered two deceased individuals, later identified as 75-year-old Jack Greene Jr., a white male, and 76-year-old Kathleen Greene, a white female.
This matter was treated as a death investigation until family members were notified and further investigation and evidence were gathered. Out of respect for the families involved, no official statement was released from the Vicksburg Police Department until the appropriate notifications could be made. Out of respect for the privacy of the family we did not give out certain details involving the case to the public.
While we understand the media’s role in informing the public, it is important that investigations are handled with care and accuracy. Premature reporting of unverified details can be misleading and distressing to loved ones. Our department remains committed to providing timely and factual information in a professional manner.