[Nfbf-l] Fw: Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71

[Kathy Davis]

Dear Albert,

I thank you for sharing the obituary for Paul Kay. He was quite a man and
quite a Federationists. He will be missed!

Kathy Davis
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Albert Sanchez
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 10:45 PM
To: nfb piano talk; NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List; NFB of North
Carolina List; NFB of Florida Listserv; NFB History Support List
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Fw: Paul Edward Knisbacher Kay Dies at age 71

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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