I am gong to date myself again. But, I’m actually proud of the issue, so I could care less.
Six decades ago, I became a subscriber to Consumer Reports. (This was a publication of the Consumers Union.) This magazine published reviews of automobiles, appliances, sound system, pots and pans- in other words, things we need to buy in our lives. It started out as a most unbiased reviewer, letting folks like me get the best products at the lowest prices. Most of my cars were chosen using their analysis, my stereo systems, televisions- all were based upon the reports Consumer’s Union issued.
But, in the mid-1970s, I had become a dealer/reseller of vehicles, so the car ratings weren’t as germane to my life anymore. And, I already had a dishwasher, top of the line oven, TV, etc… so I really didn’t need its advice, so we simply drifted apart.
Starting in mid-1980s, I became very involved with the alumni and endowment (hmpf- our endowment almost totaled $ 1 million, so this term was very loosely applied) affairs of my undergraduate school. I was trying to get folks from Virginia and California to matriculate at Brooklyn Poly, a solid second-tier university (on a research basis) that provided an outstanding undergraduate education.
Which is when I became cognizant of another consumer advisory group- the Washington Consumers’ Checkbook. At this point in time, it was about 6 years old (having started its efforts in 1976), with Robert Krughoff completely in charge. He set up the non-profit foundation that published the magazine, using funds from a local philanthroper (Cafritz Foundation provided him $ 50,000 of seed money), the US Office of Consumer Affairs, and the Consumers Union.
He started the publication when he realized one of the service stations that “repaired” his car certainly failed the test. And, his group rated local service providers- plumbers, auto mechanics, funeral homes, health care, and the like. There were some 20,000 subscribers in the DC area. With time, its interest expanded beyond the DC metro area to include seven regions (from Boston to Seattle), attaining a readership of some 190000 subscribers.
Why did I learn of this entity? Because Krughoff allowed about 8 of us alumni to use his office (and phone service) to solicit donations to the school from folks who lived in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Free of charge.
I was always amazed at his generosity to us. He had no affiliation with Brooklyn Poly (moreover, he was an attorney; lapsed, of course), but helped us become the region of the US that raised the most amount of money for Poly. (One would have expected the NY area to exceed our fundraising, since they had about thrice the alumni census we did. I always reconciled this fact that folks in the DC are probably made more money that NY area graduates- and we were pretty pushy getting our graduates to fork over some money.
I continued those activities (our annual campaign; outreach to local DC and LA area high schools, until Governor Cuomo changed the rules).
In case you don’t know, back in the early 1970s, NYU had tremendous financial difficulties. And, the law school and the medical college would not use their own funds to bail the university out.
So, New York State covered NYU’s debts, removing the engineering school (and then giving it to Brooklyn Poly), and used one of the campuses for a New York community college.
Years later, one of our professors (Dr. Donald Othmer, had donated a “few” shares of stock to Poly when he died. You know- stock in Berkshire Hathaway, worth some $ 200 million. This donation was followed shortly by that of Joseph Jacobs, a PhD Chem E (poly graduates) who added his $ 20 million endowment to the total.
NYU coveted those funds and convinced Governor Cuomo to rescind the bar on NYU having an Engineering school and glomming up our campus. At which time, I several all relationships I had with Poly. (now NYU).
But, I always remembered Bob Krughoff with fondness, considering his generosity to a lowly commuter school.
Bob Krughoff died in his home on the 26th of February, at the age of 80. May is memory be a blessing.
