Funeral Scheduled Today for WWII Vet, Former Bridge Columnist

A funeral for Robert A. Goldwater is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at Congregation Kol Ami, located at 252 Soundview Ave. in White Plains.

Goldwater, who graduated from White Plains High School in 1942, died on Nov. 6 at the age of 88. He had lived in the White Plains, Scarsdale and Hartsdale area since 1929. 

Goldwater served in WWII for nearly two years during the European Theater. He was stationed in London during the buzz-bomb raids in June, 1944, and went to France in July, 1944, one month after D-Day.

He ended up receiving five campaign stars for his service in the European Theater. He was discharged in December of 1945, 12 days before he turned 21.

Goldwater went on to major in journalism at the University of North Carolina and graduated in 1948. He worked as a reporter and copy editor for the White Plains Reporter Dispatch for six years, before going on to work for the NBC television network's press department for 12 years as a publicity writer for the coverage of sports events and numerous popular entertainment series.

Shows that Goldwater worked for included You Bet Your Life, starring Groucho Marx; The Man From UNCLE; Get Smart; and the longtime daytime drama, Days of Our Lives.  

After NBC, Goldwater went on to work in the public relations departments of a number of institutions, including the New York State Olympic Committee and the Xerox Corp. He also worked as sports information director for Fordham University.

In 1976, Goldwater started writing a weekly column on the bridge card game that ran in a number of newspapers, including the Journal News. He earned several bridge column awards from the American Contract Bridge League and served as a member of the Westchester Contract Bridge Association Board of Directors for 38 years, earning the title of  “Mr. Bridge of Westchester” when retired from the board in 2004.

Goldwater's complete obituary can be found in the window above.