Scott Himstead

Born in Syracuse, NY to the late Dorothy and Ralph Himstead, Scott grew up in Chevy Chase, MD where he developed a love for the written word, travel and trains. Scott graduated from the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. and from Oberlin College in Ohio. He attended Cornell Law School until he was drafted into the army and deployed to Germany. He married Joan (Sachse) Himstead in Summit, NJ.

Scott began his long and fulfilling career in the newspaper business working for the Shore Line Times in Guilford, CT, working in all phases of newspaper production. He became Editor of the Branford (CT) Review in 1963, but jumped at the chance to transfer to the Cape Cod Times and move to the Cape in the late 1960s. He fondly remembered childhood summers on the Cape at Pleasant Bay Sailing Camp and often said he “grew up with sand in his shoes”. He became president and publisher of the Cape Cod Times in 1972, a position he considered his dream job, and held that position until he retired in 1996.

As a publisher, he placed the journalistic integrity of the newsroom above all else and he embraced the public good that the Times could serve. Among his proudest accomplishments was leading a 1989 petition drive to improve the safety of “suicide alley,” the two-lane stretch of Rt. 6 that had seen fatal collisions kill 36 people in the prior 19 years including a Cape Cod Times employee.

During his tenure with the Cape Cod Times, he served as president of both the Massachusetts Publishers Association and the New England Newspaper Association, he was on the Associated Press Nominating Committee and was chairman of the Newspaper in Education committee of the American Newspaper Publisher’s Association.

Scott was proud to actively volunteer for numerous civic organizations. He served as founder and president of the Cape Cod Literacy Council, as president of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, and on the boards of the Cape Cod Baseball League, the Cape Cod Community College Foundation, the Cape Cod Economic Roundtable, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Arts, the Arts Council of Cape Cod, and the Cape Cod YMCA, among others. Scott served as president and member of the board of directors of Cape Cod Times Needy Fund. He was a founder and lifelong member of the Cape Club, active in the Hyannis Rotary Club, and served on the Vestry of St. Mary’s Church.

A self-described “Type-A” personality, Scott was not idle in his retirement. He fulfilled his life-long love of trains by serving as president of the Cape Cod Central Railroad and continued to be active in numerous civic organizations. He spent joyous time with his growing family and beloved golden retriever, Sam-I-Am. He enjoyed spending hours with his nose in a book or his eyes on the Red Sox or Patriots. He was a member of The Beach Club in Centerville and the Barnstable Yacht Club.

Scott is survived by his wife, Joan Himstead, and children: Greg Himstead and his wife Janet of Randolph, NJ; Todd Himstead and his wife Lindsey of Wellesley, MA; Holly Himstead Moskow and her husband Robert of Larchmont NY. He is also survived by eight beloved grandchildren: Alex, Trevor, Conor and Wyatt Himstead; Ben and Maddy Moskow; and Oly and Geneva Anders.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cape Cod Literacy Council, of which Scott served as founder and president until July 2015, or the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, MA.

Services will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Barnstable on Saturday, August 29th at 11am.