Bob Kaufmann remembered by friends as a man who loved helping people

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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.
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Weekend Outlook: Nature Activities, Cleanups, and More

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
Events in the Berkshires this weekend include community clean-up initiatives, plays, nature activities, and more. 
 
Multiple Days
 
Roald Dahl's 'Matilda The Musical JR.'
Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield 
Select Times Friday through Sunday
 
There will be a performance of 'Matilda The Musical JR.,' which follows Matilda, a clever girl who stands up against her cruel parents and tyrannical headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. 
 
With her intelligence and bravery, she inspires her classmates and her kindhearted teacher, Miss Honey, to advocate for what’s right.
 
Tickets are $15 and up. More information here. 
 
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