Mathey cook killed in car accident

Greene, who was a member of the Mathey College kitchen staff for more than 10 years, was driving north on Route 130 to Princeton from his home in Burlington, N.J., when his Hyundai Accent ran into the rear of a 2000 Freightliner Tractor, according to The Trentonian. Greene was unconscious and had stopped breathing by the time police arrived at the scene, The Trentonian reported.

Mathey College Master Antoine Kahn GS '75 and Rockefeller College Master Jeff Nunokawa sent e-mails yesterday morning to their respective colleges announcing the news. The colleges also erected a placard with Greene’s photo and a note thanking him for his service to Princeton next to the Rocky dining hall card-checker Tuesday.

Friends and colleagues described Greene as an outgoing, humorous man who always made a point of greeting and interacting with students.

“I saw him every day,” Patricia Byrne, the Mathey College administrator, said. “He was always so pleasant and friendly. I know the students will miss him.”

Dining Services staff members from other residential colleges were brought to the Rocky and Mathey dining halls Tuesday to help during meals.

As word of Greene’s death spread, many students approached dining hall manager Violette Chamoun to offer their condolences.

“I cried. I had like 10 students come up to me and hug me,” Chamoun said. “They’re sad. They’re still in shock. One day he was here, the next day gone. [The students] don’t believe it.”

Oscar Hyde ’12, a student in Mathey College, said he knew Greene well and nearly cried at lunchtime upon hearing of his death.

“I have allergies, so the kitchen staff provides for me,” Hyde explained. “He would say hi and tell me what they prepared for the day. He was always smiling.”

Michael Baker ’11, also in Mathey, said he sensed a general depression among his friends after they heard about the accident.

“We talked to him when we got food and shot the breeze with him about everyday stuff,” Baker said. “It was upsetting. I’ll miss him.”

Dining hall employees who knew Greene well recalled his devotion to his children, who often spent time with him after work.

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“He used to care a lot about his kids, and we used to take our kids to the Poconos [together] to snowboard,” Johanson Ugalde, a Mathey cook, said.

Greene was also a perfectionist about his cooking, said Howard Sutphin, a Dining Services cook and a good friend of Greene.

“He would ask me to cook fish, and he would tease me that it wasn’t well-done enough,” Sutphin said.

This passion for cooking, Chamoun noted, resulted in dishes that were distinctive and delicious.

Dennis Stewart, another Mathey cook, said Greene was an integral part of the kitchen staff but always enjoyed his breaks from work.

“He liked to sit out in the chair and snore a little bit,” Stewart said.

Valerie Sykes, a Mathey College kitchen staff worker, described Greene as a “gentle giant who liked chocolate milk.” She added that she plans to attend his memorial service.

The rest of the kitchen staff is doing its best to cope with the loss, she said.

“We’re dealing,” Sykes said. “You just pray, and you keep the faith.”

Greene is survived by his wife and two sons, Michelangelo and James. He was remembered with sympathy cards signed by students at a sushi study break Tuesday night in the Mathey Common Room organized by the USG Social Committee.