Ben Greenbaum: Pursuing His Passions

He majored in biology at Hamilton College and for two summers worked in labs at the Medical College of Virginia under the guidance of Dr. David Hume and Dr. Richard Lower, pioneers in the field of organ transplants.
    Through high school and college, he also immersed himself in music as a singer with several bands, and when the MCV admission committee members considered his application, they thought that his pastime might distract him from his studies.
    “They questioned my desire to be a doctor,” Greenbaum recalled.
    “They said they’d like to see me work in labs to prove I was really interested, but I’d already done that.
    “Their decision impacted my medical school direction.
    “I have no regrets.  I’ve done a lot of things I wouldn’t have done otherwise.”
    As one door closed, others opened, and Greenbaum burst through them with alacrity.
    In short order, he hit the road with King James Version, his college band which had played the party scene in the 1969 movie The Sterile Cuckoo and which had opened for Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, and Soul Survivor.
    He served a year of active duty as a US Army medic, then settled in Colorado (Boulder and Aspen), continued his musical odyssey, and worked as a medical technician to pay the bills before returning home and joining Spice, a group which shared the stage with, among others, the Allman Brothers, Alice Cooper, Jethro Tull, Bruce Springsteen, and Jimi Hendrix.
    By 1974, the demands of the real world caught up with him, and he and Bonny, whom he had married two years earlier, headed to Amelia County to teach school.
    Four years later, they moved to Nottoway and in 1980 back to Richmond where he pursued his interest in archeology as a field supervisor on an excavation in the Yellow Tavern area in northern Henrico.
    He joined the Collegiate faculty in September 1981 and has been on deck ever since.
    As his responsibilities grew, music was never far from his heart.
    In 1982, Greenbaum founded Baby Huey and the Babysitters, which gained regional fame with a mix of soul, rhythm and blues, and funk.
    With a full-time job and family – he and Bonny have two sons, Josh, 31, and Noah, 25 – he was regularly burning the candle at both ends.
    Nevertheless, he remained “Baby Huey” until about 18 months ago and now makes occasional guest appearances.
    How is he filling his time away from school these days?
    Greenbaum is a Civil War enthusiast.
    Three-and-a-half years ago, he and Bonny bought an 1832-vintage home in Petersburg because of its proximity to historical sites.
    He’s vice-president of the Historic Petersburg Foundation and on the board of directors of Battersea (an 18th Century house in his adopted home town), the Petersburg Museum Foundation, and the Petersburg Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.
    He’s a prodigious collector of period memorabilia and a regular visitor to and speaker at Civil War shows around the country.
    “Not just by my estimation but by the vast majority of historians,” he explained, “the Civil War is the defining event in American history.  It impacted virtually every citizen, young and old.
    “I’m interested in the poignant stories of heroism and courage exhibited by people from both North and South who endured the war and willingly sacrificed all they had for what they believed.”
    Greenbaum has a treasure trove of items such as clothing, hats, binoculars, and knapsacks and has spent considerable time researching online data banks to learn all he can about the soldiers who used them.
    “The things that were made then were made by hand by skilled artisans,” he explained.  “Not just the weapons but the uniforms, cooking utensils, and tinware, virtually everything that was utilitarian.
    “People took intense pride in what they made.
    “I’ve always found that fascinating.”
    There’s much more to Greenbaum’s life than his professional endeavors.
    A lifelong runner, he finds time each day to work out.
    A diehard New York Yankees fan, he’s accumulated a substantial  collection of baseball memorabilia.
    He’s always been a devoted Dad and, with Bonny, has encouraged  their sons, both Collegiate graduates, to develop their interests and pursue their passions.
    Josh, now a graduate student in music technology at Georgia Tech, is a musician (guitar, bass, and keyboard) most recently with the band Horizon.
    Noah, a wealth management advisor, was a standout baseball and football player for the Cougars and a scholarship place kicker at University of Virginia and, as a redshirt senior, at Liberty University where he earned All-Big South honors.
    OK, I said as our visit was coming to an end, there’re only 24 hours in the day, and you spend some of that commuting on I-95.  How do you ever find time and energy to get everything done?
    “To be honest,” he responded, “it’s not easy, but it’s really not a chore.
    “I don’t watch much TV, except Antiques Roadshow – I’m a devotee – and Yankees games.
    “I never can wean myself off musician’s hours.
    “As long as I’m physically and mentally able.  I want to be a participant.  I want to take advantage of what’s out there in the world.
    “I hope my interests always remain as intense.   I don’t want to miss out on anything.”
        -- Weldon Bradshaw