Ellen Rae Levy Kaufman

ELLEN RAE LEVY KAUFMAN (b. April 17, 1933, d. Jan. 22, 2016) We celebrate the remarkable life of civil rights activist, thespian, artist, Internet developer, and mother, Ellen Rae Levy Kaufman, who died on Friday the 22nd of Jan. after 82 creative and influential years. A lifelong Arkansan, Ellen Rae Kaufman was preceded in death by her parents, Sol H. and Marjorie Kempner Levy, and her husband of 51 years, Joseph Kaufman–proprietor of Bennett's Military Supply (the oldest family-run business in the state at 145 years), President of the Temple B'nai Israel Men's Club, and progenitor of Our House for homeless Arkansans. Ellen Rae Kaufman is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Joy and Jerry Bryant; her three children: Sheree, Jay, and Melissa and their families: Sheree Kaufman Meyer and Douglas Meyer and their children and grandchildren: Adam, Jessica, Tess Ellen, and Josie Davenport; Aimee, Brody, Adalynn, and Colton Geist; Ryan, Cindle, and Whit Meyer; Professor Jay Kaufman, his wife Karen, and children, Colleen and Lindsay (Ashton, MD); Dr. Melissa Kaufman and Jane Sentner (Nashville, Tenn.), and her dear friend and colleague Thelma Johnson. Ellen Rae Kaufman was a member of the Little Rock Panel of American Women (presently known as Arkansas Public Policy Panel), which was organized in 1963 in the aftermath of the Central High School desegregation crisis. The panel–comprised of white, black, Jewish, Catholic, and Asian women–provided a platform for openly discussing race, religion, and ethnicity on TV and in churches, schools, and civic organizations throughout Arkansas. Ellen Rae was a major in fine arts at the University of Missouri at Columbia before getting married and starting a family in Little Rock. Resuming her artistic studies at the Arkansas Arts Center, she dabbled in oil painting and pottery, but it was not until she turned her considerable attention-to-detail to cloisonné enamels and jewelry that she found her niche. Her designs were sold at major galleries in New York, Boston, and the Bahamas, as well as in Little Rock.. She exhibited or had one-woman shows in galleries across the country, and has pieces in permanent collections at the Arts Center as well as museums in Wichita and New Orleans. Her enamel and gold jewelry were illustrated in two books, and her equally intricate needlepoint designs were featured in "Creative Canvaswork" by Elsa Williams. Ellen Rae became fascinated with computers in the early 1970s, especially for their potential in artistic design. Armed with a VIC20 computer and 8 kbyte of memory on a cassette tape, she discovered the nascent internet and was asked to initiate a Special Interest Group (or SIG) for artists for Commodore Computers. Kaufman immediately started to create a communications shorthand for her SIG and is credited with coming up with the acronyms LOL (Laugh Out Loud) and ROFL (Rolling On the Floor Laughing) on the Internet. Ellen Rae danced, acted, and sang in several Little Rock Community Theater productions at the Arkansas Arts Center, including Anything Goes, The Cole Porter Review, and Hello Dolly, where she played the lead role as Ms. Dolly Levi. Indeed Ellen Rae played lead a lot. Like her husband, she generally became the president of any organization she joined. Kaufman was especially active at Temple B'nai Israel where she led the Sisterhood and was the advisor for the Youth Group for many years. Life with Ellen Rae Kaufman was one of much laughter and much travel. She loved taking cruises, the Italian countryside, and a good glass of Riesling. But most of all, Ellen Rae loved her children and grandchildren who benefited from a lifetime of example that creativity and attention-to-detail are a roadmap to success and the joie de vivre. Ellen Rae Kaufman will be laid to rest next to her husband and surrounded by her family in Oakland Cemetery. There will be a public ceremony in her honor at Temple B'nai Israel on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016 at 10 a.m. and a private burial service. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family respectfully asks that friends make a donation to Temple B'nai Israel or the Arkansas Arts Center in memory of this truly remarkable Arkansan. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home, 13801 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, AR 72211, (501) 224-8300. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.