USS Elmore
Team Elmore
Meet the nucleus of our team.
Gregg Dudash
Webmaster
Connection: Joseph Andrew Dudash, Chief Yeoman, USNR – father
Gregg was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. and still has fond memories of the days when the ‘Steel City’ was still The Steel City. His father worked for U.S. Steel for 40 years and instilled a sense of pride in his son for Pittsburgh’s place as the “arsenal of democracy” during WWII. Gregg earned two degrees from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh before obtaining a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Loyola University of Chicago.
During his 30 years in the Windy City, Gregg worked in the personnel department for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the largest sanitary district in the country. With his love of technology, he eventually transitioned into a computer systems administrator. By the time of his retirement, Gregg had developed a grudging respect for Chicago-style politics, whose unofficial motto, penned by famed Chicago columnist Mike Rokyo, is ‘Ubi Est Mea’ – Where’s mine?
Gregg has been married for over 20 years to his lovely wife, Pamela. They have two teen-age sons, Skylar and Clayton. Upon retirement, Gregg and the family moved to Fountain Hills, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. Soon after his arrival, he became a board member of his local sanitary district. As he has wryly quipped: Why flush 30 years of experience down the toilet? He still misses the great restaurants of Chicago but finds solace among the incredible number of Chicago transplants in the Phoenix area.
For the last two years, Gregg has been developing his desire to honor the ship and crew of USS Elmore, his father’s ship during WWII. With the launch of this website, the role of Elmore in the Pacific War is now being told. Just like the legendary Chicago Blues Brothers – Jake and Elwood – Gregg is convinced that he is on ‘a mission from God’ to honor our vets. If the Elmore's website serves to meet that end, then his mission has been accomplished.
Brian Lionberger
Researcher
Connection: Robert Leyland Lionberger, Gunners Mate, USNR – grandfather
Born and raised in Colorado, Brian enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1995 and served as a Seabee on a Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan. After completing his enlistment, he attended Colorado Mesa University (previously Mesa State College) and graduated with a Bachelor's in Computer Science.
For several years, Brian worked for Sun Microsystem's and Raytheon and is now serving as a defense contractor at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Brian is an experienced software engineer with a strong skill set in Python, Perl, C++, Unix, and system architecture.
Brian currently resides on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, with his wife, Sueko and their two children, a son and daughter. Living in the most beautiful state in the Union, John enjoys running, hiking and anything that gets him outdoors.
For Brian, family is the center of his life and so, not surprisingly, he spends as much time as he can with his family. That sense of family is at the heart of his support for the Elmore Project, a way to honor his grandfather’s service during WWII as a member of the Elmore’s crew.
