R. SCOTT GREATHEAD

GREATHEAD--R. Scott. Scott Greathead died of cancer on August 17th at the age of 78. He leaves behind his daughters Kate, Frances, and Molly Greathead; son-in-law Teddy Wayne; his brother Tim Greathead; grandchildren Angus and Phoebe Greathead; and ex-wife and lifelong friend, Christy Pennoyer. He was predeceased by his second wife of 20 years Juliette Bennett in 2022. He was a loving, generous person with a deep soul and an ironic sense of humor. He had a twinkle in his eyes that was irresistible. He was imaginative and intellectually curious. Raised in Newport Beach, CA, he came East to Princeton and never went back. After serving in the Marine Reserves, he attended UVA Law School. He moved to New York City, where he practiced law in several firms over 50 years, as well as serving six years as First Assistant in the New York State's Attorney General's office in the 1980s. His passion was human rights. For more than 40 years he worked pro-bono on behalf of people who were harmed by repressive regimes in countries from Latin America to Asia, investigating and litigating human rights cases. He wrote extensively about human rights, including op-eds in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He represented the families of the churchwomen who were murdered by members of the Salvadoran security forces in 1980 and played a key role in pressing for a successful trial of the men who committed these crimes -- the first trial to hold government soldiers accountable for human rights crimes. In 1989 he represented the Jesuit Church after six Jesuit priests were murdered, also by the Salvadoran military. His persistent advocacy challenged the United States government's support for El Salvador's authoritarian government. He was a founding board member of several organizations including the Center for Reproductive Rights, Human Rights First, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Friends of the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, and Friends of China Labour Bulletin. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served on the boards of Human Rights in China and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater as well as two foundations, The Sperry Fund and American Conservation Association. In 2016 he co-produced an award-win- ning documentary, "Finding Oscar," about his client Oscar Ramirez who, at the age of three, was one of two survivors when his village was destroyed by a Guatemalan military death squad. Scott was admired for his relentless pursuit of justice and loved by all who knew him. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Friends of FAFG, Friends of China Labour Bulletin, or HRIC (Human Rights in China)." A memorial will be held on November 9, 2024.