Wednesday March 13, 2013

I read with sorrow last week about the passing of Donald Feigenbaum. He was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge his generosity and concern for the young people of Pittsfield.

One of my fondest memories of my tenure at the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce was in 2002 when Don and his brother Armand approached our organization about working with them to establish the Feigenbaum Scholarship in Engineering and Technology. While they had gone on to achieve worldwide fame for their work, they really never forgot where they came from and wanted to make sure that the rich and successful history of innovation in Pittsfield would be tied to the best and brightest coming out of the local schools.

My best memories are of visiting the brothers at their office around Park Square and listening to their stories about the path that they took from Pittsfield to Union College and beyond. They were always courteous, respectful, and at times, would finish each other’s sentences. Throughout their stories, they would always come back to their hometown and speak with great pride about what the city had done for them and how they wanted to make sure that young graduates from the city schools would have some of the same opportunities as they did to do great things.

The Feigenbaum Scholarship luncheons were events in themselves, with Don and Armand taking care of lunch for everyone and wanting to

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make sure that the students, their families, school administrators, city and local officials, and representatives from the Berkshire Chamber were in attendance. It was always a wonderful experience to witness these gentlemen speaking with the 17- or 18-year-old winner about their plans for the future. Don and Armand would make brief remarks and encourage additional efforts to keep bridging that divide between the city’s great past and the hope for its future. I had the pleasure of working with the Feigenbaums for five years on that scholarship and it remains a proud link for the Berkshire Chamber.

Armand, I am sorry for your loss. Don Feigenbaum cared a great deal about his place of birth. May he rest in peace.

DAVID R. BISSAILLON

Adams

The writer was president of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce from 2001 to 2006.