Grandson of prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize founders dies in Sonoma plane crash
The grandson of a prominent philanthropic San Francisco couple was killed in a small plane crash Thursday in Sonoma County.
William “Bill” Sachs Goldman, 38, of San Francisco was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
His grandparents were renowned philanthropists Richard Goldman and his wife, Rhoda, an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune. In 1989, the couple established the distinguished Goldman Environmental Prize to recognize grass-roots environmental activism around the world.
Goldman, an assistant professor of international studies at the University of San Francisco, was one of four passengers abroad the private plane when it crashed about 12:45 p.m. in a rural field southwest of Sonoma Skypark Airport, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The three other passengers were taken to local hospitals, deputies said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
In a statement released after the crash, University of San Francisco President Paul Fitzgerald said Goldman was “an accomplished scholar, a beloved and generous teacher, and a valued member of our community.”
“He will be greatly missed by his colleagues, students and the countless alumni who were inspired by him in and out of the classroom,” Fitzgerald said.
Goldman’s wife, Serra, is a member of the university’s Board of Trustees and School of Law alumna.
“We are standing in prayerful solidarity with her and with Bill and Serra’s young children, George and Marie, now and in the days ahead,” he said.
Goldman shared his grandparents’ philanthropic spirit.
In 2012, he and siblings founded the Richard W. Goldman Family Foundation to assist underserved children and communities gain access to education, health and financial resources.
He was one of six board members of the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, an independent foundation that provides financial backing to organizations nationwide.
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