Henry Grady Watts

Henry Grady WattsApril 23, 1940 – January 10, 2024The books in the Washington home of Henry Grady Watts occupied nearly every comfortablesurface. Sailing, history, gardening, woodworking, philosophy, health, jazz, fishing, cooking,weather, animals, nature. A visitor to his home seldom left without a borrowed book or at least anew perspective on, say, the history of the Incas or the best way to roast a pig.Watts, 83, an award-winning film maker, died January 10, 2024, in Washington DC, surroundedby family and friends, guitars, drums, and so, so many books.Grady, as he preferred to be called, graduated from Harvard University in 1962, where hequarter-backed the football team for two seasons. He was also a three-time All-American inLacrosse, where he was the nation’s leading scorer in the sport in 1960 and in 1962. The formerteam captain has claim to six lacrosse records including one that makes him the highest scorer inHarvard history. He also holds the Harvard record for most points scored in a season with 100 aswell as sharing the single game honor with 11. But these records were never mentioned byGrady.After graduating with a BA in government, Watts studied film production at Stanford’s graduateschool of communications.In the early 1970’s, Watts helped found the Washington Community Video Center, operating outof a storefront in Adams Morgan in DC. The not-for-profit supported local efforts to use media topursue social goals. One film, “It’s Our Park” featured a campaign against real estate speculationand displacement from long-established neighborhoods— now known as gentrification. The filmwas the center piece of an effort to preserve what is now “Walter Pierce Park”. At WCVC, hemet Gerardine (Gerry) Wurzburg. The two married in 1980 and in 1993, a documentary they co-produced, “Educating Peter,” won an Academy Award®. The film portrayed a third- gradestudent with Down syndrome and his classmates during his first year attending a public school.In the early 1960’s he worked on a number of alternative films while based in San Francisco.Other early films by Watts included coverage of mass demonstrations and political movements,including the 1969 Vietnam War Moratorium in the Fall.He went on to direct political campaign commercials for major Democratic candidates includingcommercials for Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. In 1982 he directed the National Emmynominated anti-censorship film, “Books Under Fire.” He continued work on this topic withNorman Lear. In the 1990’s he joined his wife’s media company State of the Art, Inc. anddeveloped numerous films and community outreach campaigns on depression among men, HIV-AIDS, sobriety and drug addiction, home care, end of life care, and the diagnosis and treatmentof prostate cancer. His work was honored with many awards.None of the difficult work precluded Grady from teaching himself to play the guitar and drums.He regularly appeared at the community Conga drum circles at Malcolm X Park.

Grady was an accomplished sailor and joined the Chesapeake racing culture. He lived on thePotomac River for a while in a boat of his own creation. In the 1970’s he built a traditionalwooden skipjack that drew only a foot so he could sail into the nooks and crannies of the Bay.Grady and his wife had two daughters, Charlotte and Emily. With their arrival, life’s orbitcentered on them. He coached their sports teams, taught them how to sail, to play music and howto cook. Grady’s culinary skills were legendary for the food and for the conversations as thecommunity gathered. Their home was a safe space and home for many travelers- musicians,artists, advocates, and family.To help stay in shape, Grady took up competitive rowing in his 50’s. He was a member of thePotomac Boat Club and competed nationally. His favorite rowing location was Long Pond,located on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Early in the morning, before the wind pickedup, he would slip his racing shell into the glimmer glass waters and merge with the morninglight. https://www.maineislandliving.net/boats/sculling-alone-on-long-pondOn this remote island, he and his wife built a Japanese styled glass house on a cliff overlookingthe Atlantic Ocean. The house was design by the architect and friend Evans Woollen. In his lateryears, Grady was involved in an island land trust and the Island Store Cooperative.In his late seventies, Grady undertook the design and construction of a barn on the island thathoused his extensive workshop and art studio.Watts Jr. was the son of Henry Grady Watts, Sr., a jazz and big band trumpet player and RuthHackert, a dancer who appeared in the Marx Brothers hit, “Coconuts.” Grady is survived by hiswife, Gerardine Wurzburg, and daughters Charlotte and Emily, a grandson, Henry Grady Hollandand son-in-law’s Josh Holland and Patrick Varney.Donation in his name can be made to:Isle au Haut Community Development Corporation isleauhaut.orgCapital Caring Hospice capitalcaring.funraise.orgTregaron Conservancy https://tregaron.org