Kenneth C. Kaufman

Kaufman, Kenneth C., 81, ret. Vice President of Communications at SWB, died Monday, May 07, 2007. Funeral service is 10:00 AM Friday, May 11 at Downing and Lahey West Mortuary. Kenneth was born to Elmer, who was a proprietor of Cousins Tea and Coffee Company founded in 1872, and Margaret Kaufman. He was in the United States Navy from 1944 - 1946 and served as a Hospital Corpsman in the Pacific and participated in the invasion of Okinawa with the Marines in 1945. Kenneth graduated from High School in St. Louis, earned an A.B. from Westminster College in English, a marketing certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.A. from Washington University in Liberal Arts, and a Ph. D. from St. Louis University in American Studies. During retirement he was Mayor of Village Maeystown, Monroe County, Ill., participated in the Lifelong Learning Institute through Washington University, trustee at Second Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, editor of Maeystown Volksblatt, author of Dred Scotts Advocate, a biography of Roswell M. Field, published by the University of Missouri Press in 1996. It was named best Missouri history book of the year by Historical Society of Missouri. He was a board member of the Eugene Field House and Museum. Kenneth was a news reporter from 1950 - 1952 with the Rogers (Ark.) Daily News where he covered sports, general news, and county and municipal government. From 1952 - 1955 he was a reporter at the Arkansas Democrat in Little Rock where he covered the state capitol under the administrations of Gov. Francis Cherry and Gov. Orval Faubus. He also covered the legislature, supreme court, secretary of state, treasurer, all state departments, and the school integration crises in the early 50s. He was State correspondent for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tulsa World, and Springfield Leader and Press. From 1955 - 1990 he worked in public relations, advertising, and communications for Southwestern Bell and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in AR, TX, MO, and NY. He also served as Vice President - Corporate Communications for SBC Corporation and worked from 1989 - 1990 in Washington, DC with the United States Telephone Association. Survivors include wife, Mary Arnold Kaufman of Little Rock; sons, John (Faye) Kaufman of Wichita, Kenny C. (Pamela) Kaufman of Cordova SC; sister, Janet (Robert) Kassing of Naples FL; grandchildren, Charley Kaufman and Jessica Silvey; numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. In lieu of flowers memorials have been established with Eugene Field House and Museum, 634 S. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102 and Hospice Care of Kansas, 808 S. Hillside, Wichita, KS 67211.