[nfbwatlk] Fw: Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71

Albert Sanchez albertsanchez at suddenlink.net
Sun Jan 11 04:44:33 UTC 2009


Fellow Federationists,
I am forwarding with sadness the following message regarding the recent death of Paul Kay from Larry Povinelli, 

Albert Sanchez
----- Original Message ----- 
From: LPovinelli at aol.com 
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 6:14 PM
Subject: Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71


Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71

By Harold Snider and Larry Povinelli

 

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.

 

Paul Edward Knisbacher was born on February 22, 1937 in Vienna, Austria. 

Paul’s early life was traumatic. His family fled from the Nazi takeover of Austria in November, 1938. First they fled to Belgium for about a year. When the Nazis invaded Belgium in 1939, they again fled to England. The young family survived the Blitz in London and after eighteen months in England immigrated to the United States in early 1941. On arrival, Paul’s father changed the family name from Knisbacher to Kay.  He thought that the family would flourish with more Anglicized names.  In 1981, Paul had the opportunity to revisit his family home in Vienna, Austria. He was able to meet his old nanny and the reunion was both happy and tearful.

 

Paul grew up in the Riverdale section of the Bronx in New York City. >From the age of 10 Paul began to loose his sight.  In high school he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, which led to Paul’s blindness.  Paul also had severe hearing loss later in life.  Paul graduated from Taft High School in 1956 and then attended The College of Insurance in Brooklyn NY where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 1961. 

 

In the 1960s, Paul worked as an independent insurance broker in New York 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 New York University in September, 1971.  Paul first joined the National Federation of the Blind in the summer of 1968 in New York City.  He attended his first National Convention in Columbia, South Carolina in 1969.  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.  The federation truly changed his life. Paul loved dogs and had five guide dogs during his life.

 

On graduating from law school in 1974, Paul moved to Washington DC 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 District of Columbia.  In 1993, Paul and Larry Povinelli became law partners and created a professional corporation.  The corporation expanded its practice to include numerous areas of the law. Paul and Larry practiced law together until his death.    

 

On Paul’s arrival to Washington 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. 

 

Although Paul lived in Washington for thirty-five years, you could never mistake him for anything other than an extreme New York Yankee fan.  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 Bronx and a game at Yankee Stadium where he was able to cheer for his beloved New York Yankees. 

 

Paul loved his baseball as he loved life.  Nothing stopped him from succeeding at whatever he wanted to do.  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.  He will dearly be missed by his family and friends.  

 

A memorial service will be held at 10 AM on Sunday, January 10, 2009 at Louis Suburban Chapel in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  Paul will be buried next to his mother and father. 



Paul is survived by his sister, Elizabeth Kay Goldstein. 






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