Remembering Immprof Gwynne L. Skinner (1964-2017)
Immprof Gwynne L. Skinner, founder of the Human Rights and Refugee Law Clinic at Willamette University School of Law passed away this week after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
From her obituary:
Gwynne Skinner was born in Des Moines, Iowa, July 17, 1964, and died December 11, 2017, from complication of ovarian cancer, with which she lived with dignity for nearly 5 years. Gwynne spent most of her childhood in Colfax, Iowa. She especially enjoyed spending time with her siblings, cousins, and at her grandparents’ acreage on the edge of town, eating homemade ice cream and fresh watermelon, feeding lambs by the bottle, and playing with her cousins. Her father was a music teacher, and then a school administrator, moving the family to several small towns in Iowa, including Shelby, Melvin, and Sac City, from where she graduated high school. She went on to study at the University of Northern Iowa, where she was executive editor of the college newspaper, and then to the University of Iowa where she earned her law degree.
Gwynne spent time working in politics as a paid staffer for the Iowa Democratic Party, the presidential campaign of Bruce Babbitt, and on senate and congressional campaigns. Her first job out of law school was with the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Criminal Division, in Washington, D.C. She went on to practice as a local prosecutor, and then various private practice firms. She founded the Public Interest Law Group in Seattle, Washington. After receiving an advanced law degree from Oxford University in International Human Rights Law, Gwynne became a visiting professor of law at Seattle University before joining the law faculty of Willamette University, where she founded and directed the Human Rights and Refugee Law Clinic. Over her career, Gwynne litigated several high profile cases, representing former Guantanamo Bay detainees in cutting-edge civil cases for their illegal detention and torture, the family of Rachel Corrie against Caterpillar for aiding and abetting human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and a class of Somali workers against a large sausage company for religious accommodation, among others. She also took the quiet cases that made a difference in people’s lives, such as representing those seeking asylum or facing discrimination. Gwynne loved being a professor and teaching and inspiring a new generation of lawyers how to advocate for the human rights of all. Gwynne was a steadfast, loyal, and generous friend and mentor to many. She was an excellent, compassionate listener and counselor. As a colleague and leader, she inspired countless professionals and students who hope to carry on her brave legacy. Her advocacy was not only courageous, but visionary. She initiated and co-directed the first state-wide human rights report on human trafficking in the United States, which led to a follow-up report on trafficking of Native American women and children in Oregon. Her tenacity, bright spirit, keen intellect, passion, and loving attention will be sorely missed by all who knew her.
Gwynne is survived by her spouse, Dr. Beth Skrypzak of Portland, her two beloved daughters, Lucy, 16 and Ella Skrypzak, 12; her mother Joy Skinner (Wichita), her four siblings, Brenda Lyttle (John) of Cheyenne, Susan Skinner of Los Angeles, Steven Skinner (Mary Frances) of Wichita, and Jill Skinner of Phoenix; and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
A viewing will be held on Saturday, December 16, 2017 from 10:00-1:00 at Holman’s Funeral Home, 2610 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, Oregon.
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, January 13, 2018 from 10-11:00 followed by a Celebration of Life from 11-1:00 at St Andrew Church, 806 NE Alberta Ave.
Tax-deductible contributions can be made in her memory to: SOAR (Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees) Immigration Services in Portland, OR. http://emoregon.org/soar.php Or to Immigration and Counseling Services http://ics-law.org
-KitJ