Rupert W. Scofield ’71

Rupert W. Scofield ’71, of Chatham, N.Y.; Nov. 27, as a result of several strokes. After graduating from Brown, where he was an All-Ivy and All-New England lacrosse player, he joined the Peace Corps and worked side-by-side with subsistence farmers in Guatemala, then worked as a land reform activist with the AFL-CIO during the height of the civil war in El Salvador. He earned master’s degrees in both agricultural economics and public administration from the University of Wisconsin, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Roehampton, London. In 1984 he cofounded FINCA, a pioneer in the field of microfinance. FINCA’s revolutionary approach, known as Village Banking, provided financial services to mostly illiterate women farmers, shopkeepers, and laborers so they could build their own pathway out of poverty. Today, its network of community banks serves millions on five continents. As FINCA president and CEO, he mentored and inspired countless others, while demonstrating how to live a life of purpose and meaning. He wrote four books during the course of his career. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine; two daughters; a son; three grandchildren; brothers Frank ’69 and Daniel ’78; sister-in-law Lisa Bird Scofield ’77; and several nieces and nephews.