The obituary for Robert Elliot Kaufmann, 62, of 132 Water St., outlined an amazing career: Williams College “Big Man on the campus,†teacher and coach, Peace Corps, Wall Street whiz, Williams development official and finally Water Street businessman and restaurateur.
Add his stellar role as center on the Ephs’ football team, ski instructor and patrolman, hunter and fisherman, and scuba diver and instructor and it shows a man of many talents and interests.
Then there were community and environmental concerns and his strong family relationships, particularly his love for his three children and two grandchildren.
But facts and listings, while impressive, do not tell the entire story.
The real Bob Kaufmann was revealed at a memorial service Aug. 18 at the First Congregational Church and at a reception at Stetson Hall.
Some 400 persons heard remembrances from family members and such diverse persons as Williamstown Tree Warden Robert McCarthy and Dr. Benjamin Glick, Berkshire medical examiner, at the church.
The tales continued at the reception and they revealed one common thread: Bob Kaufmann loved people and he loved helping them, from the homeless who were welcome to spend the night in his Water Works Laundry and Dry Cleaning establishment to hungry Appalachian Trail hikers he fed at his apartment directly above the laundromat.
“He touched my heart and changed my life,†exclaimed one former employee of the River House Restaurant he founded some 20 years ago, now the Water Street Grill.
He hired handicapped and disadvantaged persons whenever possible and taught swimming and scuba diving to the blind and crippled, as well as to students at Williams and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.
He was particularly concerned about Vietnam War veterans and injured persons, as well as his environment.
As a member of the Williamstown Search and Rescue Team, he was well trained in first aid and was often the first to treat accident victims, when others were fearful of getting involved. One person died in his arms, according to his second wife, the former Susan Pedersen. His first wife, Sandra Jean Kaufmann, lives on Cape Cod, and was the mother of son Jeffrey of New York City, and daughter, Andrea Sarah Kaufmann of Framingham, who is now operating the Water Works.
Susan Kaufmann, who was separated from her husband, still lives in Williamstown, and is the mother of Katharine, who lived with her father.
Jeff and Andrea both attended Williamstown schools, although Jeff also attended Holderness Academy and was graduated from Williams in 1989. Andrea was graduated from Boston College with a degree in advertising and marketing. Katharine, 15, attended Williamstown schools and is presently enrolled at Mount Hermon School.
The three children skied, hiked and scuba dived with their father.
Joining in many of the adventures were brother William, who still lives in Bob’s hometown of New Rochelle, N.Y., and is president and CEO of a nonprofit development corporation in Hartford, Conn., and his wife Karen Lossing Kaufmann. Both spoke at the memorial service.
Bill Kaufmann was graduated from Williams in 1958, two years before his brother. Among numerous members of the Class of 1960 at the memorial were Francis T. Vincent Jr., former major league baseball commissioner; and James R. Briggs, former director of the Williams Outing Club and former baseball coach.
“It was an overwhelming outpouring of affection for Bob and we are preparing a booklet including the remarks and tributes,†said the older brother.
When the two brothers were at Williams, their parents bought a 75-acre farm in nearby Whitingham, Vt., and it became a base of skiing at Mount Snow and at the former Dutch Hill Ski Area. The farm, which is not worked, remains in the family.
Bob’s three children also skied at Jiminy and Brodie, where Bob either taught or patrolled, as he did at Mount Snow.
Another common activity for the two brothers and their children was attending North Country Camps in Keesville, N.Y., on the shore of Lake Champlain and at the edge of the Adirondacks. “We had climbed many of the Adirondack’s peaks over 4,000 feet high and had a goal of climbing all 46 together,†said Andrea.
Memorial contributions are suggested for the camp, in care of The Chief’s Campership, 16 Prospect St., Mount Kisco, NY, 10549.
Andrea, in fact, had been preparing to take a training hike with her father, but he had died only a few minutes before her arrival, sitting in a chair after a telephone call from Susan, discussing Katharine’s dormitory selection at Mount Hermon.
I knew Bob fairly well as a football center in 1959 on a Len Watters’ coached team that went 2 and 6. I was the Williams sports information director at the time and Bob Kaufmann was a strapping six-foot, 200-pounder, ready to go all out. Team manager Fay Vincent gave me daily news flashes.
He was still a fit and active man and celebrated his 60th birthday with a family scuba diving trip to Micronesia, not too far from his Peace Corps assignment in Indonesia, decades earlier. He had sailed in many waters, often with Dr. Glick, and to is students he was called Bob the Fish.
But to hundreds of area residents and workers, he was remembered as a man who was always ready to help, instruct and encourage.
Unfortunately, although I was in the news business and living in Williamstown the past 40 years, I did not maintain a relationship with Bob Kaufmann, other than reading or writing about his various businesses. That’s a loss!
John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about our area sports scene.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Veteran Spotlight: Marine Corp. Tim Woodward
By Wayne SoaresSpecial to iBerkshires
FALMOUTH, Mass. — Tim Woodward served his country in the Marine Corps as a corporal from 1983 to 1987.
Having grown up with Tim, you knew he was the type of person who would succeed at whatever he attempted. His drive and discipline set him apart from his peers, even at a young age. He would have four college acceptances after graduating from Falmouth High School, but put them on hold to enlist in the Marines, where he did his basic training at Parris Island, S.C.
"It was definitely an eye opener," he said. "I had some pretty good preparation as my father and uncle were Marines. It was a lot of work, more mental than physical, and a lot of people weren't prepared for that.
"I wasn't fearful. It was about earning the title of U.S Marines. I'm proud of the fact that I was selected for just about every leadership position in my platoon, including Honor Man. I had a great time."
Woodward's first assignment would take him to the former Naval Air Station Memphis in Tennessee for aviation electronics training through a rolling admissions program.
"Made it all the way through — I was pretty good at troubleshooting. I always wanted to fly jets but ended up working on them," he said. "After schooling, I was sent to Whidbey Island, north of Tacoma and Seattle, Wash., where I was attached to Navy Squadron VAQ-129, where I learned to test the electronics on the Grumman EA 6B Prowler.
"I also did five months with VAQ-29. I remember when you drove into the base the sign overhead said, 'EXCUSE OUR NOISE, IT'S THE SOUND OF FREEDOM,'" Woodward said. "I had a chance to climb on the jets, wash them like your car, walk on the wings — lots of good memories."
Woodward's first assignment would take him to the former Naval Air Station Memphis in Tennessee for aviation electronics training through a rolling admissions program.
click for more
The Holyoke wrestling team Saturday took the final two championship bouts to pull away for the title by a 12-point margin over Mount Greylock at the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Championships. click for more
