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<DIV>Fellow Federationists,</DIV>
<DIV>I am forwarding with sadness the following message regarding
the recent death of Paul Kay from Larry Povinelli, </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Albert Sanchez</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=LPovinelli@aol.com href="mailto:LPovinelli@aol.com">LPovinelli@aol.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, January 10, 2009 6:14 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>By Harold Snider and Larry Povinelli</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>We report with great sorrow the untimely death of Paul Kay, attorney
and a longtime leader in the National Federation of the Blind, after a
protracted illness. Paul died on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. We would like
to recall Paul’s life and achievements.</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Paul Edward Knisbacher was born on February 22, 1937 in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Vienna</st1:City>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Austria</st1:country-region></st1:place>. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Paul’s early life was traumatic. His family fled from the Nazi takeover
of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Austria</st1:place></st1:country-region> in November, 1938. First they
fled to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region></st1:place> for about a year. When the
Nazis invaded <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region> in
1939, they again fled to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The young family survived
the Blitz in <st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City> and after eighteen months in
<st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> immigrated to the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place> in early 1941. On arrival, Paul’s father
changed the family name from Knisbacher to Kay. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He thought that the family would flourish
with more Anglicized names. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In
1981, Paul had the opportunity to revisit his family home in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Vienna</st1:City>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Austria</st1:country-region></st1:place>. He was able to meet his old
nanny and the reunion was both happy and tearful.</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Paul grew up in the Riverdale section of the Bronx in <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:City>. >From the
age of 10 Paul began to loose his sight.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>In high school he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which led to
Paul’s blindness.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Paul also had
severe hearing loss later in life.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Paul graduated from <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Taft</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">High School</st1:PlaceType> in 1956 and then attended
The College of Insurance in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Brooklyn</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">NY</st1:State></st1:place>
where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 1961.
</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">In the 1960s, Paul worked as an independent insurance
broker in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York
City</st1:place></st1:City>. He also obtained training and was licensed as a
Masseur. But neither career truly satisfied Paul’s ambitions. With encouragement
from his family and members of the National Federation of the Blind, Paul
entered law school at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">New
York</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in September, 1971. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Paul first joined the National Federation
of the Blind in the summer of 1968 in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">New York City</st1:City></st1:place>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He attended his first National
Convention in Columbia, South Carolina in 1969.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Paul joined the student division in
1971, where he served as Vice President and later the National Association of
Blind Lawyers, where he was an active member for 33 years.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The federation truly changed his
life. Paul loved dogs and had five guide dogs during his
life.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">On graduating from law school in 1974, Paul moved to
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">DC</st1:State></st1:place> to accept a position as Staff Attorney with
the U.S. Maritime Administration, an agency of the Department of Commerce. He
was employed by the government for eleven years, leaving to enter private law
practice in 1985 where he began practicing Criminal Law in the DC Superior Court
and the U.S. District Court for the <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">District of Columbia</st1:place></st1:State>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In 1993, Paul and Larry Povinelli became
law partners and created a professional corporation. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The corporation expanded its practice to
include numerous areas of the law. Paul and Larry practiced law together until
his death. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>On Paul’s arrival to <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State> in 1974, he immediately became part
of the leadership of the newly reorganized NFB of DC. He remained an active
leader, board member and officer for the remainder of his life. Paul served as
President of the DC affiliate from 1978 to 1980, distinguishing himself for his
advocacy and leadership in educating the DC City Council about blindness. Paul
was also actively involved in the Sligo Creek Chapter of the NFB of Maryland and
the Potomac Chapter of the NFB of Virginia. </FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Although Paul lived in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place> for thirty-five years, you could
never mistake him for anything other than an extreme New York Yankee fan. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In 2007, on the occasion of his
seventieth birthday close friends of Paul gave him a great surprise, a return
visit to his old home in the <st1:place w:st="on">Bronx</st1:place> and a game
at Yankee Stadium where he was able to cheer for his beloved New York Yankees.
</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Paul loved his baseball as he loved life. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Nothing stopped him from succeeding at
whatever he wanted to do.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you
took the time to get to know Paul, you would have come to know a great friend,
who had a heart of gold. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He will
dearly be missed by his family and friends.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>A memorial service will be held at 10 AM on Sunday, January 10, 2009 at
Louis Suburban Chapel in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Fair
Lawn</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">New Jersey</st1:State></st1:place>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Paul will be buried next to his mother
and father. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Paul is survived by his sister, Elizabeth Kay Goldstein.
</FONT></P></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR>
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