Waldemar Kaminski’s death unlocks his story
By OWEN HEAREY
News Staff Reporter
6/23/2006
Waldemar Kaminski, who quietly ran a food stand in Broadway Market for more than 50 years, has been revealed to be a self-made millionaire and philanthropist who anonymously gave millions to Buffalo charities and neighbors in need.
He died at home Wednesday night from complications of a long illness. He was 88.
“He didn’t want anyone to know him, but I just had to thank him,” said Anne Gioia, co-founder of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, to which Kaminski donated several million dollars. “Now I think we should shout it from the rooftops.”
He made his hidden fortune in the stock market, carefully investing his hard-earned money over the course of his lifetime. The sole luxury in his unadorned flat, situated directly above Kaminski Meats, was the computer that he used to track his investments.
