Brockton native Richard Alan White, 72, renowned writer, author and historian, passed away July 9, 2016 at his home on Hooper’s Island, Hoopersville, Maryland. Born January 17, 1944 in Brockton, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Rose Dabravalski and the late John Witkowski. He was the brother of the late John J. White and the late Dorothea “Dee Dee” Lyle as well as the beloved uncle of many nieces and nephews.

A scholar, world adventurer and human rights advocate, Dr. White was the author of several groundbreaking books: The Morass: United States Intervention in Central America; Paraguay’s Autonomous Revolution (1810-1840); and Breaking Silence: The Case That Changed the Face of Human Rights.

Richard was a 1961 graduate of Abington High School and grew up in Brockton and Abington. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Latin American History from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he held Woodrow Wilson and Fulbright-Hays scholarships. While conducting historical research in Paraguay on an Organization of American States post-doctoral fellowship, he worked as a field representative for Amnesty International. He served as a senior fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Washington, DC.

Richard taught at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles, as well as the Universidad Catolica and the Universidad Nacional in Asuncion, Paraguay. He was the only non-Paraguayan member of the Institudo de Investigaciones Historicas Dr. Jose Gaspar Rodrigues de Francia, an honor awarded in recognition of the Spanish publication of his book Paraguay’s Autonomous Revolution, 1810 – 1840. As an expert on Paraguayan affairs, White took part during the 1980’s in operations to locate former Nazi war criminals, including Dr. Joseph Mengele. A fluent Spanish speaker, he was an advisor to Jesse Jackson in 1984 during negotiations in Cuba that led to the release of American prisoners being held there.

As a project director in the International Relations Division of the Mexico City based Centro de Estudios Economicos y Sociales del Tercer Mundo (CEESTEM) during the 1980’s, Whites’ responsibilities including producing a semi-annual report analyzing the diplomatic, political, and military developments in Central America, conducting on-site investigations of human rights violations, and briefing U.S. Congressional delegations on fact-finding missions to the region. His work The Morass: United States Intervention in Central America - a 1984 critique of the Reagan administration’s counterinsurgency policies in the region - received the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in the United States award.

He worked as a consultant on Latin American affairs for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the CBS Evening News and ABC World News. His book Breaking Silence described a landmark, transnational case that allowed the family of Joelito Filartiga to seek justice in U.S. courts against his Paraguayan torturer.

Dr. White moved to Hoopersville in 1986. He especially appreciated corresponding with friends and living on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay, where he continued his writings and enjoyed the beautiful sunsets and remote landscapes. He loved spending time with his cat Trini.

He leaves behind friends from Hooper’s Island and around the world as well as his niece Natalie A. White and her husband Jeremy Crockford of Middleboro, Massachusetts; his nephew John J. White and his wife Carla White of Huntsville, Alabama; his niece Susan Chacey and her husband Allan Chacey of Markham, Virginia; his nephew Mitchell White of Middleboro, Massachusetts; and his niece Marlo White and her husband Kevin Richman of Lakeville, Massachusetts. Survivors also include many grandnieces and grandnephews.

Burial services will take place at 11 a.m. August 15 in the family plots at Calvary Cemetery in Brockton, Massachusetts, with an informal memorial service to follow. Dr. White will also be honored at a ceremony in Asuncion, Paraguay. To contact family, email natalie_white@comcast.net. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Amnesty International at www.amnestyusa.org.

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