Elizabeth W. Vorenberg died on July 19 in Lexington. She was 87.

Mrs. Vorenberg was predeceased in 2000 by her husband of 30 years, James Vorenberg, former professor at Harvard Law School and dean from 1981 to 1989. She had previously been married to Raymond S. Troubh. 

Betty was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Bethesda, Md. and New York city. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1950. She spent summers on Martha’s Vineyard fishing, catching crabs, digging clams and gathering oysters. Ms. Vorenberg devoted her professional life to issues concerning civil liberties and civil rights. She was the founding executive director of Joint Foundation Support in New York city, deputy director of the Massachusetts Advocacy Center and assistant commissioner of research, planning and evaluation at the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare. She was president of the ACLU of Massachusetts and served as its representative to the national board.

More than anything else, she loved the projects she took on with her husband Jim. They were co-masters of Dunster House at Harvard University for five years. They co-authored several articles about global human rights.

She is survived by her children John Troubh and his wife Louisa and Amy Troubh, her stepchildren Jill Vorenberg Alberts and her husband Rod, Amy Vorenberg and her husband Roger Wellington and Liza Vorenberg and her husband Barnaby Jackson, her brother Stephen Weiner and his wife Mina and 10 grandchildren whom she took on trips, one child at a time, all over the world, wherever each one chose.

Funeral services will be held on August 1 at 1 p.m. at the Story Chapel, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the West Tisbury Library, westtisburylibrary.org or Rosie’s Place, rosiesplace.org.