In Memoriam
Robert I. “Rick” Kaminsky
March 28, 2022
Rick Kaminsky died on March 26, 2022. Here are the following:
- Obituary, Houston Chronicle
- Funeral Service (video)
- Remembrance by Sam Francis ’64
Obituary, Robert “Rick” Kaminsky
Houston Chronicle
March 28, 2022
Rick Kaminsky
Yale graduation
Robert Isadore “Rick” Kaminsky, M.D. died peacefully at age 79 at his home in Houston, TX on March 26, 2022.
He was born on May 17, 1942 in Houston, TX to Dave and Edith Kaminsky. He grew up in Old Braeswood surrounded by family and numerous friends where he and his brother Stephen spent many afternoons playing sports and making lifelong friendships.
He attended Roberts Elementary School, Perishing Middle School, and Bellaire High School where he distinguished himself in high-school athletics and was on the All-Greater Houston basketball team. He matriculated at Yale University in 1960. With a close-knit team, he became a three-time All-Ivy Leaguer and an All-American basketball player his senior year.
He was elected to the Yale secret society Skull and Bones as a senior.
Rick Kaminsky
Recent photograph
During his time at Yale he made lifelong friends with whom he stayed in close contact for the rest of his life. After Yale, he followed in his father’s footsteps to become a doctor, choosing to go to Baylor Medical School. After medical school and an internship at Tulane University, he enrolled in the Barry Program of the United States Army where he became a Major and was based in Fort Huachuca and Fort Dix.
Following his time in the army, he completed his residency in Urology at Baylor Medical School. He went on to have a successful urologic practice at St. Joseph’s and became a pioneer in lithotripsy treatment, introducing it to the Houston medical community.
He retired at the age of 56 to spend time with the love of his life, Jan, and pursue his other interests. In his retirement he was an avid golfer, playing almost every day the course was open. He had three holes in one and enjoyed family golfing trips. He became a successful business investor and closely followed the stock market. He attended weekly Longhorn recruiting luncheons. He was also actively involved with and adored by his eight grandchildren. He was inducted into numerous basketball halls of fame, including the Texas High School Hall of Fame and the JCC Hall of Fame. He was selected to be on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Silver Anniversary Team, recognized at the 1989 Final Four. He frequently regaled friends and family with stories, often breaking into laughter before he reached the punch line.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 25 years, Jan; his children Loran Kaminsky, Alicia and Alex Garnes, and Kirk and Kathleen Kaminsky; his grandchildren Sarah, Jack, and George Kaminsky, Ethan and Will Garnes, and Charlie, Caroline, and Quinn Kaminsky; and his brother Stephen and Diane Kaminsky.
The funeral service will be held Tuesday March 29, 2022 at 1:30pm in the Bender Chapel at Beth Yeshurun Post Oak Cemetery, 1037 N. Post Oak, Houston, Texas.
Funeral Service
The video below is of Rick’s funeral service on March 29, 2022 in the Bender Chapel at Beth Yeshurun Post Oak Cemetery in Houston, presided over by Senior Rabbi Brian Strauss of Congregation Beth Yeshurun. Allan Post ’64, who lives in Houston, attended the service in person and sent us the funeral program.
Rabbi Strauss’s eulogy is followed by remarks by Rick’s son Kirk, close friend Ken Levy, and Rick’s younger brother Stephen.
Remembrance by Sam Francis ’64
March 29, 2022
I didn’t know Rick until senior year, when we were both tapped by the same senior society, which threw us together with thirteen other strangers into the artificial hothouse of shared experience which is the hallmark and purpose of Yale’s senior societies.
But of course I knew of Rick well before then. Who didn’t? As a sophomore he was the leading scorer on a basketball team of sophomores that wasn’t expected to contend but nevertheless won the Ivy League championship, going on to the post-season NCAA Tournament and losing to Wake Forest only in overtime, with Rick carrying the team on his shoulders. Yale lost only after he fouled out in overtime. Yale would not finish alone in first place in the Ivy League for the next 53 years.
Rick only got better over time, a 6’2” forward scoring 25 points per game in his senior year, leading the team as its captain. He was a three-time All-Ivy and an All-American in his senior year.
But what most of us remember about Rick is his modesty and easy-going manner. Despite being a basketball superstar and campus hero, he was a sweet, gentle, caring, and self-effacing friend, modest to a fault. A gentle giant, he was a role model in so many ways, never putting himself forward but always leading.
You can get a sense of him by listening to his interview with ESPN on the occasion of Yale’s return to the Ivy League basketball championship in 2016, fully 54 years after that magical season of 1962.
May you rest in peace, good friend. You left us a lot of good memories.
Affectionately,
Sam