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Sheldon Kaufman Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0837
Finding aid note: Forms part of the Houston Jewish History Archive. Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

One box containing primary school certificates, Bar Mitzvah materials, a letter of intent to play baseball for Rice University on a scholarship, news clippings, admissions paperwork, correspondence, Rice team schedules, an award, and two scrapbooks documents Sheldon Kaufman's time spent as a youth at Adath Emeth primary school and his baseball career from Little League through his time at Rice University spanning the years 1956 to 2004. Of particular interest are the two scrapbooks created by Kaufman that contain numerous news clippings, schedules, and statistics from his time playing baseball in Little League and at Westbury High School and Rice University.

Dates

  • 1956 - 2004

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research.

Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the Sheldon Kaufman Papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

The Woodson Research Center use policy is that researchers assume sole responsibility for any infringement of privacy, literary rights, copyrights, or other rights arising from their use of the archival materials. In addition to any restrictions placed by donors, certain kinds of archival materials are restricted for the life of the creator plus 50 years. These materials include, but are not limited to, student grades, transcripts, and any job applications or recommendations.

Biographical / Historical

Sheldon Kaufman was born to Martin and Mary (Morris) Kaufman September 12, 1950 in Houston. He grew up in the Westbury area, attending Adath Emeth primary school and graduated from Westbury High School in 1968. Sheldon began playing baseball at a young age with one of his local Little League teams where he excelled at both fielding and hitting. He played football, basketball, and baseball for Westbury High School, sitting out part of the baseball season his senior year with a broken jaw after being hit by a pitch. Sheldon was offered, and accepted, a scholarship to play baseball for Rice University from 1968 to 1972. He played shortstop for the Owls for four seasons and was named All SWC shortstop his senior year. Sheldon was the only Jewish player on the baseball team at the time. He never felt any animosity from other team members because of religious differences. One of his favorite stories concerns his teammate and roommate who had never met anyone Jewish before. When Sheldon lit Chanukah candles, his roommate was shocked to learn Sheldon was Jewish, and from then on Sheldon explained every holiday to him. The two still remain friends. Sheldon graduated from Rice in 1972 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Commerce. He married Phyllis Belasco – a transplant form Pennsylvania and 1970 graduate of Bellaire High School -- March 17, 1974. Sheldon was inducted into the Ronnie Arrow Houston Jewish Sports Hall of Fame June 13, 2004, in recognition of achievements in baseball.

Extent

.50 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

The collection consists of one box containing primary school certificates, Bar Mitzvah materials, a letter of intent to play baseball for Rice University on a scholarship, news clippings, admissions paperwork, correspondence, Rice team schedules, an award, and two scrapbooks that documents Sheldon Kaufman's time spent as a youth at Adath Emeth primary school and his baseball career from Little League through his time at Rice University spanning the years 1956 to 2004.

Arrangement

The materials in this collection have been arranged in one series as follows:

Series 1: General

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Sheldon Kaufman donated the papers in January of 2019.

Related Materials

UA 089, Rice University "R" Association records; MS 840, Phyllis Kaufman Family papers

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Sheldon Kaufman Papers, 1956-2004
Status
Completed
Author
Traci Patterson
Date
2018-03-29
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892