What do the younger sons of the celebrated Washington hostess hope to gain by waging legal war over their mother's will? There are hints too that he has social ambitions on Gwendolyn's scale, if not exactly of her type. "Decedent's condition deteriorated after the death of her husband in 1964 and grew worse in the following years. ", Conrad and Carter Cafritz have chosen instead the purgatory of probate court, where their complaints suggest less lovely memories. "He got up at 5 or 5:30, and he wanted to show me what a hard-working man he was.". . ", Today, he still combats a version of that assumption, pithily summed up by one detractor in this way: "You don't have to be Albert Einstein to take money and make additional money in real estate." Md.-based government contractor relocates headquarters to Fairfax Co. Montgomery County, MD Files Lawsuit Against McKinsey and Company, Inc. for Companys Role in Creating Opioid Epidemic, GSA Seeks Commercial Procurement Data Solution. Mr. Cafritz began his career with Cafritz Construction Company in 1947. Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a doyenne of Washington arts and education, who tried to mend many of the city's social and racial wounds, created one of the nation's leading arts-intensive high schools,. Michael J. Dowling, who became the Cafritzes' butler in the early '60s, describes a tragically common decline. Rogers had served as her personal attorney since her husband, Washington real estate magnate Morris Cafritz, died in 1964. For some people, the best send-off is one that they would have loved to attendthemselves: a big party. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. For him, philanthropy required partnerships that are broad, diverse, and extensive. To slip out of the speedy traffic on Foxhall Road into the half-circle driveway was to slip back in time. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. She has pressured the Smithsonian to increase the number of minorities in high-ranking positions and has been arrested outside the South African Embassy as a leader of Mother's Day protests there. Baron and Baroness Constantine Stackelberg . 2017-2023 Tribute Archive. Mr. Cafritz said that the awards are designed to "shine a light on the contributions of extraordinary government employees. For now, the house is tended by at least two servants, who are listed in court documents as living there, and the grass is beautifully clipped, the pachysandra well-tended. Conrad and Carter Cafritz are pursuing this stake in two ways: One is a lawsuit naming all her beneficiaries and her executors -- William P. Rogers, Martin Atlas and Riggs National Bank. "Very sort of philosophic, sort of honorable." Cafritz Calvin Cafritz Washington developer and one of the region's leading philanthropists, died Thursday morning, January 12, 2023, at Sibley Memorial Hospital, in Washington, DC. But he's much different from his father, in a lot of ways. ", She gave only two parties in the last 15 years of her life -- one in 1978, her first in five years, and the final party in 1986. It has been variously reviewed as "one of the more important bands to emerge from the new head-slamming school of American guitar/noise bands" and "the gnarliest, most scuzzed out molotov to hit the streets since the heady days of Teenage Jesus and The Jerks." In 2000, under Mr. Cafritz' leadership, the foundation's board established the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Awards for Distinguished DC Government Employees, an annual program designed to recognize and reward outstanding performance and exemplary service by locally based federal employees. Mr. Cafritz has been an exemplary advocate for excellence in government and nonprofits in D.C., and the foundation has been a force for community self-efficacy. After their marriage in 1981, Conrad and Peggy bought Sen. Stuart Symington's house in the Foxhall Road area, studied it for a while, then tore it down to build a new house. There were of course the grand exceptions like the Warburgs, and Walter Lippmann, and Arthur Krock . A document filed in probate court says an initial inventory of her own property exceeded $90 million; however, inventories filed with her will account only for a little more than $80 million. She carried her isolation to her grave. Calvin, 58, who finds himself a defendant in this lawsuit, is usually described as gentlemanly, methodical and reserved. Funeral arrangement under the care ofSAGEL BLOOMFIELD DANZANSKY GOLDBERG FUNERAL CARE INC. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Says a friend, "He thinks they're a lot of fuddy-duddies living in the 17th century." Perhaps one day Calvin, or Conrad, or some Cafritz now unknown, will find a way to bring together the opposite forms of ambition that thrived in this house, and give a second start to the dynasty that never was. Named in the lawsuit, besides Calvin, is everyone to whom Gwendolyn Cafritz made a bequest, including her former servants and grandchildren, two nephews and an old escort. . His faith was great enough to lead him into investments that would later seem visionary: He developed the Temple Heights tract at Connecticut and Florida, for example, buying the land in 1945 with developer Charles H. Tompkins and sitting on it for 12 years before selling the northern part for development of the Washington Hilton, and building the two Universal Buildings on the southern part of the site. "Carter, he always did what the other two did," says Casey. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. And even then, there was always fussing. When Morris Cafritz died in 1964, his estate was worth $66 million, mostly in the form of stock in dozens of closely held corporations he had established to manage his real estate. They're more like the French salons.". He too has denied the sons' allegations in his formal answer to their complaint. "Carter Cafritz is just a genuine nice fellow," says Raymond Carter, a former vice president of the Cafritz Co. "Conrad is more in the father's mold. For one thing, he has a dark, avowedly cynical sense of humor. Betty Lou Roberts Colvin, age 84 of Warren, AR passed away November 5, 2020 at Chapel Woods Nursing Home in Warren, AR. An old friend remembers a Fourth of July party at which one or more of the boys stood in a window above the path that led indoors from the pool to the cocktail area, throwing firecrackers down onto the guests. "Old Washington was very antisemitic, as you know," continues Vidal, whose childhood here as the stepson of lawyer and investor Hugh D. Auchincloss and the grandson of Oklahoma Sen. Thomas Gore gave him an intimate education in Washington society. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. "Getting along with her," says one developer who knows the family, "was something none of them ever mastered. "I've just bought 100 acres of downtown Washington," he was fond of saying. In Washington, D.C., when Irene Bloch's husband dies, a character says, "We should build him a monument, and dedicate it to the Unknown Husband. "I'm sure part of it was to show Herb Miller he was serious.". 91. At the same time, he and Tompkins had the foresight to buy the land now known as Pentagon City. Send simple, comforting meals with Home Chef. Calvin Cafritz, a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC, was born March 29, 1931, as the eldest son of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz. The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the charitable organization Calvin Cafritz had led since 1989, confirmed his passing and provided a copy of his obituary, which didnt disclose cause of death. The foundation's board of trustees consisted of Gwendolyn Cafritz and the two men who would become her executors -- Atlas and William P. Rogers, her attorney. It is hard not to wonder what the effect might have been of hearing Gwendolyn Cafritz's will read for the first time. ", She kept up appearances even in the privacy of her home, where she drank Scotch from a decanter in the living room. When he died, his estate was the largest ever probated in the District of Columbia. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. They had a large fund-raiser for Jesse Jackson in 1988, and for Conrad's 50th birthday, Peggy gave him an enormous black-tie dinner at home. At the least, then, Gwendolyn's will disposes of more than $140 million. "Conrad was persistent as hell in getting that project," says one person familiar with Conrad's business. He had emigrated from Russia as a boy with his family, which stopped briefly in New York before settling down to run a grocery store at 24th and P streets NW. With such a ruling, the trust would pass to the three sons, as outlined in Morris's will. Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies at 91. bizjournals.com - Michael Neibauer 20h. Its annual reports list a fairly traditional, staid set of beneficiaries, and its grants are studied by an advisory board heavily weighted toward the kind of high-profile, high-society arts philanthropy that Gwendolyn favored: Among the members are National Gallery of Art Director J. Carter Brown, retired Smithsonian secretary S. Dillon Ripley and retired librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin, as well Carolyn Deaver, wife of former White House deputy chief of staff Michael K. Deaver, and a social friend of Gwendolyn's, Mrs. Tazewell Shepard. The trust was established at the death of Morris Cafritz in June 1964 in the interests of saving estate taxes. "When I heard about it, I wrote Conrad and told him I thought it was a horrible thing he and his brother were doing to his mother," says Dorothy L. Casey, a retired secretary who worked for the Cafritz Co. for decades, reflecting a widespread tendency to speak of Carter as his brother's satellite. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. In 2021 alone, the foundation awarded some 430 grants to 413 nonprofits. Real estate was more than mortgages and refi nancing in the Cafritzian heyday; it was empire building . He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation in December 1988 and since February 1989 had served as Board Chairman. But he believes her drinking was a source of family discord. The India-born founder and CEO of District-based software company Hunch Analytics is an active benefactor of both Washington and Indian causes and nonprofit groups. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Mr. Cafritz' grace, elegance, discernment, desire for excellence, and commitment to making the most of every day and every situation will continue to inspire and motivate all who knew and loved him. She was a member of Main Street Church of Christ in Monticello, AR. ", Other documents filed in court indicate that the sons will argue their mother was incapacitated by alcoholism. Once grown, the sons established limited, perfunctory contacts with their mother. Small grants went to 15 more Jewish charities, and the rest to such local charities as boys clubs and hospital funds. Under an earlier agreement between Gwendolyn and her sons, she gave up her power to "appoint" one-quarter of the trust, meaning that $21 million -- or $7 million each -- would automatically go to her sons upon her death. He was 91. The entire time, he fought with gloves off, publicly charging his rivals with bad faith. Ways to honor Calvin Cafritz's life and legacy. The foundation also gave generously to support the recent GW Hillel building renovation, as well as to provide ongoing support to other civic-minded programs at GW. Cafritz was a tireless promoter of the city. He was 91. Money -- to be sure. But of the property over which she had control, Gwendolyn left her children only "such photographs, family mementos, and similar objects of domestic use or ornamentation as my executors, in their absolute discretion, shall determine that I would wish to have preserved for my children.". ON JUNE 10, 1986, GWENDOLYN D. CAFRITZ GAVE HER LAST PARTY. Papers filed in court by his sons' lawyers say he was born in 1888; his gravestone says 1890, which would have made him only 14 when he started his business career. "Maybe we try a little harder because our family name is well-known," he told a reporter in 1965. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. She retained the right to will awaythe remaining three-quarters, or $63 million, which sheleft to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. He never tired of committing himself to this mission, which only grew bigger with time. This suit asks the court to overturn her will, after which, under D.C. law, her property would be divided among her sons. In relation to real estate, Calvin Cafritz dove deep into area projects over the years like the Riverdale Park Station in Prince Georges County as well as developments at 5333 Connecticut Ave. NW and 1725 I St. NW. And he still fights his battles with a surprising intensity, rarely bothering with the shake-hands-and-forget-it bonhomie common in Washington business. "I used to call up the house and get her maid, and her maid would talk to me about her, and say that she was completely worn out and simply couldn't get up and get herself ready to go on the warpath," says socialite Polly Logan. There he built the massive River House apartments; his estate eventually sold most of the land for others to develop. With him at the helm, the foundation distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to a range of organizations, including the National Gallery of Art, Bread for the City and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Cafritz exemplified what it means to be an inspirational leader and a great human being, said Pyatybratova. These two, according to the complaint by Carter and Conrad Cafritz, "exerted undue influence" in Gwendolyn's decision to leave her entire estate to the foundation, of which they are both trustees. In real estate, especially within the constricting borders of D.C., power isn't limited to those who own the land; controlling the land can be almost as good. A minor but colorful part of Cafritz's legacy was an idea borrowed from Harry Wardman, his predecessor as the leader of the field. Where he was meat and potatoes, earnest frugality, civic pride, she was flashing dark beauty, mercurial moods and social ambition. But they also sort of outraged people." Cafritz died in 1964 of a heart attack. But it was hard to remember, here, the titanic social ambition that had made her what she was. Website by Red Clay Creative, Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Then, in 1988, came the announcement that Conrad Cafritz, with Japanese partners, had bought Washington Harbour, the glitzy development below K Street in Georgetown that had been troubled from its opening; the original developer of Washington Harbour was Western. And {Gwendolyn} was just considered comical, and there were a lot of jokes about her. Recognizably brothers, the youngest of them nearing his fifties, they were a striking presence at the party. The outcome of the lawsuit is unpredictable, though clearly it will be an uphill fight: Showing that someone was alcoholic is very different from demonstrating that she was incapable of writing a will. Site design by, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation. D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate icon Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn, died Thursday at Sibley Memorial Hospital. The foundation, which Calvin led for over 30 years (after his mother Gwendolyn died in 1988), focuses on programs in the arts and humanities. The judge's decision, though in favor of Conrad and Carter Cafritz, is of little. ", According to friends, her confidence was badly shaken when she was robbed at home in 1969 by gunmen who bound and beat her, stealing most of the spectacular jewelry Morris had given her. Her gown, as in the past, was spectacularly formal: folds of purple satin sweeping to her ankles beneath a fitted bodice. After Morris Cafritz died, his close associate Martin Atlas became executive vice president of the company, and vice president and treasurer of the Cafritz Foundation, while Gwendolyn Cafritz ultimately became president of both. "She was good to me, and she was a good woman in my eyes," he says. . Calvin H. Frazier (February 16, 1915 - September 23, 1972) was an American Detroit blues and country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Late last year, Calvins wife Jane was elected to succeed her husband as the foundations president and CEO and he was named chairman emeritus. By the time of her death, however, Calvin was still the son closest to his mother. Calvin Cafritz Rockville, Maryland March 29, 1931 - January 12, 2023 Share Obituary: Tribute Wall Obituary & Events Share a memory Send Flowers Obituary An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. After college and military service, he rejoined the firm in 1956 and served in various positions, until the death of his father in 1964 when he became President of Cafritz Company, Cafritz Construction Company, and Ambassador, Inc. During his tenure, the companies developed, constructed, and leased a number of additional office buildings in Washington's central business district. Mr. "Watch Washington Grow to One Million," he urged in newspaper ads of the '40s, a slogan he changed to "Watch Washington Grow to Two Million" after the 1950 census counted more than 1.4 million in the metropolitan area. Conrad's strange, and doesn't mind people thinking that he's strange; he kind of encourages it.". It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Calvin Cafritz (Rockville, Maryland), who passed away on January 12, 2023, at the age of 91, leaving to mourn family and friends. All Rights Reserved. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. It is hard to imagine, in this competitive atmosphere, that a single person could have dominated the field as Morris Cafritz once did. Calvin Cafritz, a successful businessman, was involved in real estate for more than fifty years. He resigned seven years later to form Cafritz Enterprises. CALVIN FRITZ OBITUARY Wyoming - Calvin "Roger" Fritz, 69, of Wyoming, passed away at 5:29 p.m. Friday, December 24, 2021 at his home. Add a photo or a video And given the life she had lived and the kind of friends she had cultivated, few people were close enough to her to understand why. Calvins brother Carter passed away in 2019. Rachel was a daughter of the late Abraham and Chierney Yarowsky. "He's part of a legendary family, and he's the only one who seems interested in keeping up the legend," says one friend. Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. Waiters passed shrimp with cocktail sauce, while full bars offered prehistoric spirits such as bourbon and gin, defiant holdouts in the age of chardonnay and bottled water. But she had a disconcertingly self-serious way of advertising it. ", Her drinking got out of control, he agrees, shortly after Morris Cafritz's sudden death of a heart attack in 1964. But Carter and Conrad Cafritz are not named in their mother's will. (91 years old). Because Gwendolyn's estate has not been probated, its value is hard to establish. She appears every week on the WETA-TV arts show "Around Town." Of the three sons, Calvin seems to have had the best relationship with his mother. And by 1970, arts and humanities took the largest share of the funding. Kateryna Pyatybratova directs the centers Cafritz Awards program. sales@governmentexecutiveconsultingservices.com, Copyright 2022 Government Executive Consulting Services. He has interests too in a booming brokerage firm he helped bankroll, and in a Midwestern shopping-center conglomerate. . This time, the receiving line snaked across the long, low living room to the far wall, where the hostess was displayed in a yellow silk armchair. No one needed to be told that this was Gwendolyn Cafritz's last hurrah. The D.C. community is better for his engagement and we will miss him terribly.. Then there is the foundation itself, with its powerful endowment for the city. "He's creative, he's smart, also ambitious, like his father. "He took me into the kitchen and showed me how the cook would leave coffee for him in the morning," remembers the friend. Most of the band's song titles are too profane for citation in mainstream reviews (or newspaper magazines such as this); one, a song that would surely have outraged the vocalist/guitarist's grandparents, is titled "You Look Like a Jew.". The George Washington University community is remembering the life of Calvin Cafritz, a businessman, philanthropist and longtime supporter of GW. The suit was filed by the middle and youngest Cafritz sons, Carter, 53, and Conrad, 51. Calvins father Morris built the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel at 14th and K Streets NW, homes next to the National Arboretum, the Greenwich Forest neighborhood in Bethesda and several office buildings downtown. In addition, there are at least 10 apartment buildings in D.C. Conrad, say friends, has watched in frustration as downtown Washington boomed and the foundation failed to take maximum advantage of its holdings. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Calvin Cafritz to show support. He is also survived by his brother Conrad Cafritz, chairman and CEO of Cafritz Interests, a real estate company. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. All three sons were rumored to have difficult relationships with their mother, and it was rare to find them together, bearing in unison the family standard. It was an invitation to stroll around the house and remember: When Gwen Cafritz, with her 19-inch waist and Balmain gowns, her raven hair and regal air, had won constant publicity for her parties -- 22 to dinner, with toasts over champagne, and enormous receptions like this one each spring and fall. From the others he solicited their names, bending to murmur prompts into the ear of the star. But like all wills, the one now known in probate court as 3035-88 offers more than one legacy, and thus more than one motive. "He wasn't overly enthused about it, but those were her wishes, and he sort of enjoyed it in a quiet way. As he stood by her chair, he could name at a glance quite a few of the guests -- Chief Justice and Mrs. Warren Burger . Irene Bloch, as she is called, is a wealthy department store owner's wife who mounts a relentless campaign for acceptance in Washington society. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. With that philosophy he built a substantial reputation for philanthropy. To Martin Atlas, she left $50,000 and a Chagall painting. "The boys used to make a joke of their mother. They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel. D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate icon Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn, died Thursday at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Washington, DC 20006. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Calvin Cafritz to show support. By 1915 he was known locally as "The Bowling King" but still restlessly sought an opportunity that would truly engage him. It is not clear how old he was when he fell for a 19-year-old Hungarian-American beauty named Gwendolyn Detre de Surany; perhaps because she was so much younger than he, Cafritz appears to have habitually understated his age by six or eight years. All of their lives, the Cafritz boys have been aware of their status as the sons of Morris and Gwendolyn. Meanwhile, for as long as it takes, Conrad's childhood home turns a sleeping face to Foxhall Road, drapes drawn at all the windows. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. She also made bequests of $100,000 each to 10 of her 13 grandchildren -- excluding the children Conrad adopted, to whom he has remained a committed father. Recommend Calvin's obituary to your friends. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. He was "greatly respected and liked, even in an antisemitic society," recalls Dixon. Calvin Cafritz Death - Calvin Cafritz, a real estate developer, businessman, and philanthropist in the District of Columbia, passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at Sibley Memorial Hospital. At the time the lawsuit was filed, family sources told The Washington Post that the marital trust was worth $84 million. He was for years the president of the Jewish Community Center and donated the land for its first headquarters on Q Street NW. Mr. Cafritz was married previously two times; his first wife was Enid Cafritz and his second wife was Joyce Smith. Since 1989, Cafritz led the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, a charitable organization named for his parents. There is, for example, the very palpable legacy of real estate developed by Morris Cafritz, including several lots and office buildings downtown. To Edward R. Murrow, in a 1956 interview, she said that to speak of Washington cocktail parties was "unfair to Washington. One quarter to be divided among his sons, in trusts they would inherit outright at age 35. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Jane Lipton Cafritz, a distinguished Washington lawyer, whom he married on June 1, 2000. Write your message of sympathy today. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. Rachel M. Ratowsky, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. "I think he went along," says a longtime business associate, Irwin Altman. Was believed to be 102. The strange paradox of her marriage was that Morris's money enabled her to carry out her lavish social dreams, while the family's being Jewish also placed limits on her chances of realizing them. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz please visit our,

An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. With support from the Cafritz Foundation, the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership hosts a yearly awards gala to honor D.C. government employees who demonstrate outstanding public service.