Dr. Sam Goldman had big plans for the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. He’d been the executive director since 1998, but he’d worked there for 33 years. More classes, more opportunities to engage the arts, he definitely had plans.
Dr. Goldman, of Decatur, died suddenly Monday morning at home after experiencing respiratory distress. He was 63. A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday at Callanwolde, according to a news release from the center. A.S. Turner & Sons, Decatur, is in charge of arrangements.
In a prepared statement from Callanwolde, Dr. Goldman was praised for showing “the utmost dedication to providing arts to the community” and the mission of the center. Jerry Poole and Tommie Nichols, both executive board members, will serve as co-interim directors, until a new executive director is named, said Susan Summers, publicity and arts events director at Callanwolde.
DeKalb County chief executive Burrell Ellis said Dr. Goldman’s years of service at Callanwolde are “not only his living legacy, but a testament to his commitment to DeKalb County, the City of Atlanta, and his love for people and the arts.”
During his time as executive director, Dr. Goldman oversaw major improvements at the center, including the renovation and restoration of an old pool house, which bears his name.
“He was very proud and humbled,” Ms. Summers said, of the naming of the Samuel Goldman Retreat. “It was fitting considering he’d been here more than 30 years and he oversaw that entire effort of raising the money.”
Friends and colleagues of Dr. Goldman remembered him as a passionate advocate of the arts.
“He would open up Callanwolde when groups needed a place to meet,” said David Thomas, founder of the ART Station Contemporary Art Center and Theatre Company. “We worked together for over 30 years and he was an immediate mentor to me when I started ART Station.”
Dr. Goldman was “inspired by Callanwolde,” said Tom Ptaszynski, his partner of 34 years.
“It was the people who worked there, the artists, the guild members and the board that inspired him and fueled his passion for the arts,” he said. “When we first moved to Atlanta in 1978, we lived in an apartment just across the street, and that is how it all started.”
In 1996, Dr. Goldman earned his doctorate from Georgia State University. He remained active with GSU and was on the alumni association’s board of directors. In a 2010 interview with the GSU Magazine, he said he saw a sign that said ‘play tonight’ when he went for a walk one day.
“It has been a 31-year run since that little walk,” he said at the time. “It changed my whole life and I found a home, a career and lots of wonderful opportunities. I don’t know any other fulfilling job where I’d be meeting all these great people.”
Dr. Goldman is also survived by his mother and brother.
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