Ira Kornbluth of Southampton died on December 28, 2017, 10 years after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 76.
Born May 24, 1941, in New York City, Mr. Kornbluth soon set his sights on wider horizons. He left home for the University of Wisconsin to earn a bachelor’s degree in history, followed by a master’s in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., and Bologna, Italy, and a degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. From there, having married for the first time in 1967, he embarked on a circuitous path that included working for the U.S. Department of State in West Germany, the New York State Council on the Arts, Bankers Trust Company, several Manhattan political campaigns, and public radio. He even spent a few days cooking for Ethel Kennedy before moving to Southampton in 1980 and hanging out his shingle in East Hampton as what he called a country lawyer.
His first priority, however, was not career but family, particularly his wife of 30 years, Anita, a classmate from the Bronx High School of Science, and his daughter, Elena, whom he raised as a single father. Also very important to him were his wide circle of friends and his interests in history, literature, art, and architecture, helping to organize the annual summer art show at St. John’s Episcopal Church and campaigning to have his home designated a town landmark as the Hattie J. Halsey Tenant Farmhouse. He loved running on the beach with his golden retrievers and, later, yoga.
He was still toying with the idea of writing a book about his varied experiences although he had been diagnosed with cancer.
on Jan 11, 2018