Hunter Hosts a Moving Memorial to Bel Kaufman ’34

"Bel was a Hunter girl, through and through," said President Jennifer J. Raab as she welcomed a large crowd at the Kaye Playhouse to the September 17^th memorial for novelist Bel Kaufman. A devoted alumna who supported the College throughout her life, Kaufman died in July at the age of 103.

Before introducing Kenneth Kaufman, who led the celebration of his aunt's life and legacy, President Raab outlined Kaufman's "classic" Hunter story: a young immigrant arrives in New York speaking no English, becomes a superior student, and goes on to a brilliant career.

Kaufman's family and friends took the stage to remember the bestselling author of Up the Down Staircase. The tributes were filled with humor and affection, reflecting the wit and spirit of Kaufman herself. Her daughter, Thea Goldstine, offering the final remarks, described her mother as someone who was "deeply loving and deeply loved."

The event concluded with a video of a CUNY TV interview, shot when Kaufman was 100. Looking back on her long life, beginning with a childhood in wartime Russia, Kaufman said that she continued to cherish every moment, and that she refused to be bored. She told the rapt young interviewer: "I wish I were your age for one reason only - to know what the world will be like when you are 100."