2025 Levittown School District Hall of Fame Inductees


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Charles Greaves

Alumni Award

image of Charles GreavesLevittown Memorial, 1974

Charles J. Greaves earned seven varsity letters at Levittown Memorial High School, culminating in his recognition as the 1974 Long Island Press Scholar-Athlete Award winner. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California in 1978, where he also captained the Trojan lacrosse club. Mr. Greaves went on to graduate Cum Laude from Boston College Law School in 1981 and was admitted to the State Bar of California that same year.

Over his 25-year career as a trial lawyer at Hahn & Hahn, LLP-one of California's oldest law firms-Mr. Greaves represented high-profile clients, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Pryor. He achieved partnership in 1986, served on the firm's Executive Committee, and chaired its Litigation Department. He was also a frequent contributor to Los Angeles Lawyer magazine, where he served on the editorial board.

In 1982, Mr. Greaves founded the Pasadena Public Library Foundation, serving on its board for over 20 years, including five years as president. Under his leadership, the foundation raised more than $5 million for the Pasadena Public Library system.

In 2006, after retiring from law, Mr. Greaves relocated to Santa Fe and began a second career as a novelist. Writing both mystery novels under the name Chuck Greaves and general fiction as C. Joseph Greaves, he has become a finalist for numerous prestigious awards, including the Shamus, Lefty, Macavity, Audie, New Mexico-Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado Book Awards, the CAL Award in both mystery and fiction, the RT Reviewer's Choice Award, and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. His novel Tom & Lucky was named one of the Wall Street Journal's "Ten Best Mysteries of 2015," and Church of the Graveyard Saints was selected as the six-city "Four Corners/One Book" community reading for 2019-2020. His latest novel, The Chimera Club, won the 2023 CAL Award for Best Mystery and was a finalist for the 2023 Colorado Book Award.

Mr. Greaves has written numerous articles and short stories for national magazines. He currently resides in southwestern Colorado, where he owns Stark Raven Vineyards and grows Pinot Noir and Viognier grapes.