Ken Hofmann

Kenneth Harry Hofmann (February 15, 1923 – April 22, 2018[1]) was an American builder, real estate developer, and philanthropist. He was an owner of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League from 1988 to 1997, in partnership with Ken Behring,[2] and of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2005, in partnership with Stephen Schott.[3]

Biography

Born in Oakland, California, Hofmann attended Fremont High School and Saint Mary's College of California, then graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy. In 1948 he became a licensed plastering contractor, in 1951 a licensed building contractor, and in 1957 he founded The Hofmann Company, in Concord, California, which has built thousands of houses and apartments, owns athletic clubs and a golf course,[4][5] and has developed communities such as Discovery Bay, California.[6][7] In 1986, the California Homebuilding Foundation (the research and education foundation for the California Building Industry Association) named him to its hall of fame.[4] He was a prominent supporter of De La Salle High School in Concord, California providing generous funding, and by sponsoring the De La Salle Academy for underprivileged students – providing tutors, food, and books to youngsters before reaching their high school years.[8][9] Through his K.H. Hofmann Foundation, Hofmann donated 100 acres to build the Concord Pavilion, and he was a transitional donor to the cardiac high rise building at the John Muir Medical Center Concord, with a donation of US$10 million.[10][11]

Personal life

Hofmann loved playing and especially enjoyed waterfowl hunting and salmon fishing. "In his early years, he was also an avid aviator. He was married for 60 years to the former Jean England. He and Jean had three daughters and eight grandchildren, all of whom live within a two mile radius of their home in Lafayette, California."[12]

References
  1. "Former A's owner Ken Hofmann passes away". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  2. "Seahawk Timeline", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 1, 1997  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
  3. John Shea, "A's New Era – Lewis Wolff – A fan since childhood finally gets to own a team" Archived June 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, San Francisco Chronicle, March 31, 2005.
  4. Kenneth H. Hofmann: 1986 Honoree Archived October 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame (accessed January 16, 2013).
  5. "Hofmann Kenneth H." California Homebuilding Foundation. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  6. "History of Discovery Bay" Archived November 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Town of Discovery Bay, California official website (accessed January 16, 2013).
  7. Sam McManis, "Bypassed Byron: Tiny town wants to grow -- but not too much" Archived October 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, San Francisco Chronicle, February 26, 1999.
  8. Evangelista, Benny; Stienstra, Tom (April 23, 2018). "Ken Hofmann, former A's owner and developer, dies at 95". SFGate. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  9. Catholic Voice Oakland: "De La Salle Academy offers new opportunity for low-income families" By Michele Jurich Archived October 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine March 10, 2014
  10. Helix, Daniel (February 19, 2013). "ViewPoints: Dan Helix: Hofmann's philanthropy in medicine, music and youth sports spans many decades". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  11. "John Muir Health Foundation Receives Record $10 Million Gift From The K.H. Hofmann Foundation". BusinessWire. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  12. "In memoriam of Ken Hofmann, DU Volunteer". www.ducks.org. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.