Rudolf M. Riefstahl II ’50

Rudy died unexpectedly June 25, 2011, in Rochester, Mass.

He was born in Istanbul, Turkey, raised in New York City, and prepared for college at The Hill School. At Princeton he majored in art and archaeology in the Special Program in Humanities. He was on the fencing team and participated in Theatre Intime and choir.

After serving in the Army in Germany during the Korean War, Rudy pursued graduate studies in art history at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. He worked for Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum from 1956 to 1958 and for the Toledo (Ohio) Museum of Art as curator of decorative arts from 1958 to 1971, and then maintained a private practice in conservation of art and curatorial services in Michigan for many years.

After moving to Massachusetts, Rudy found new outlets for his love of art, history, classical and choral music, and reading. He volunteered in the conservation department of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, sang with local choral groups, and enjoy spending time at the Rochester library. He frequented yard sales to acquire trinkets for his granddaughters and old tools for his collection.

Rudy’s wife, Deborah, whom he married in 1954, died in 1989. To his children, Rudolf and Sophia, and three granddaughters, we send our condolences.