Gerald Kaufman, an activist, lawyer and former executive director of Awbury Arboretum in Germantown who served as a Democrat in the state House of Representatives for three terms, died of age-related ailments on May 10 at Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia. He was 92 and a longtime resident of West Mt. Airy.
Kaufman, a graduate of Columbia University Law School, served in the Pennsylvania legislature from 1966 to 1972, but after his six years in elected office, he chose to forego another run. He left his law practice to work with nonprofit organizations, which he continued for the next 50 years.
“He was a warm, engaging person, inquisitive and opinionated,” David Yanoff, Kaufman’s stepson, told the Local. “He loved politics and always wanted to hear what people had to say, especially young people.”
Kaufman served as executive director of Awbury Arboretum in the 2000s and was the founder and first president of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford (TTF) Watershed Partnership. He also served as executive director of the American Institute of Criminal Justice, president of the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of Americans for Democratic Action, director of the National Prison Overcrowding Project, and president of the Center for Effective Public Policy.
In a 2019 interview with Jennifer Ott, then-associate archivist for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Kaufman said, “I am an unabashed liberal. I grew up in a wealthy Jewish area, Squirrel Hill, in Pittsburgh and went to a private high school, Yale University as an undergrad, and Columbia Law School. Then I practiced law with my father, Sam, in Pittsburgh.”
But eventually, Kaufman felt the need to change course away from “the life I was expected to live,” he said in the Ott interview. In an effort to “break out,” he supervised the 1964 political campaign of Molly Yard, then president of the National Organization of Women who ran for state representative in Pittsburgh. She lost, but Kaufman decided to tackle a run for the same seat in the next election — and he won. In the legislature, he was an outspoken supporter of issues such as civil and women’s rights and preserving the environment.
“I sponsored the Equal Rights Amendment to the State Constitution [in 1971]. I am very proud of that. I wanted to make sure that everyone had a fair chance,” he continued in the Ott interview. “It was very hard to push the Equal Rights Amendment. This is a very conservative state, so it was very thrilling and very exciting to get it passed.”
Kaufman's first marriage ended in divorce. In 1990, he married Shelly Yanoff, a West Mt. Airy resident whose career also involved progressive causes. The couple lived in West Mt. Airy until three years ago, when they moved to an assisted living facility in Center City.
Wendi Wu, communications manager for TTF, posted on the organization’s website: “We lost a visionary leader and friend in Gerry Kaufman ... We are deeply grateful for Gerry's vision, dedication and unwavering commitment to the health and vitality of our watershed. His legacy lives on in every trail walked, tree planted, and community brought together in care of our shared environment.”
A friend, Sarah DeLone, posted online on May 22, “I will always remember fondly my runs with Gerry in the Wissahickon, discussing books by Deepak Chopra, and other books in which New Age philosophy meets personal and organizational development and health, and for which Shelly [Yanoff] had no patience. I also think back on the dinners I shared with Shelly and Gerry … at the Goat Hollow on Mt. Pleasant Avenue with my dad, Rick DeLone, and later on their back porch amidst the tall, magnificent Mt. Airy trees.”
Kaufman is survived by his wife, Shelly Yanoff, children Ann and Jim, stepchildren Steven, David, Joanne, Gabriella, Till, Dena, and Jim, and eight grandchildren. A sister predeceased Kaufman. In lieu of flowers, mourners may send donations to the American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad St., 18th floor, New York, NY 10004, or Awbury Arboretum, 1 Awbury Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19138.
A funeral service was held May 16 at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Funeral Home in West Oak Lane.
Len Lear can be reached at LenLear@chestnuthilllocal.com.
