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John Gregory Unrue ’84

A picture of John Unrue

John Gregory Unrue ’84, September 19, 2008, at home in Berkeley, California.

Greg was born in Huntingdon, West Virginia, and grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and Las Vegas, Nevada. He majored in English at Reed and wrote his thesis with Prof. Roger Porter [English 1961-2015] on Henry James' novel The Ambassadors.

After graduation, he went on to earn an MA in English literature from the University of Arizona in 1987. Later, he worked for Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns in San Francisco, and was founding owner of Berkeley Hills Financial. By 2004, he was an independent stockbroker, engaged in the development of trading systems using a form of artificial intelligence known as genetic computing. He and his wife, Maria Savelieva-Unrue, lived in the Berkeley Hills, and enjoyed traveling—especially to St. Petersburg, Russia, where Maria had previously resided.

John pursued interests in sailing, motorcycle riding, classical piano, skiing, cooking, and photography. His knowledge of French was commendable and he was admired for his zest for life. Survivors include his wife, daughter, parents, and sister.

In 2015, his parents, John and Darlene Unrue, created the John Gregory Unrue ’84 Memorial Award to recognize outstanding work in the division of literature and languages.

Appeared in Reed magazine: February 2009

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