In many ways, Maj. General Michael Kauffman was the quintessential Fort Douglas soldier.
Born in England in 1913 and raised in the Midwest, he earned a degree from the University of Wyoming in 1938, worked for Sears Roebuck in Salt Lake City, and then joined the 38th Infantry Regiment at Fort Douglas.
When the U.S. joined World War II, Kauffman was sent to Fort Bragg and ended up leading the 268th Infantry Division-through campaigns in Tunisia and Sicily, D-Day and Northern France. Wounded twice in combat, he received two purple hearts. And in 1947, when he was released from active duty, Kauffman returned to Salt Lake City and Fort Douglas, joining the 96th Infantry, the "Deadeyes."
In retirement, Kauffman became president of the Salt Lake Lions Club, led the Fort Douglas Historical Preservation Association and the Fort Douglas Military Museum Association, and, finally, the Utah USO. He died in 1994.
"Michael Kauffman is special. He is not unique," said Lt. General Robert Harter, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve. "Twice the citizen, he represents the thousands of young army reservists who have gone through this post that have quietly made a difference in their community, in the army and for the nation. I think he captures the essence of Fort Douglas."
On Aug. 8, the U.S. Army Reserve, Utah National Guard, elected officials and University of Utah leaders marked the ceremonial closing of Fort Douglas against the backdrop of a giant American flag strung between two Salt Lake City Fire trucks and the Salt Lake Valley below. It was a fitting coda to 164 years of U.S. history.
The closure of the fort closes a chapter of history unique in the United States. Originally built on 2 squares miles of Wasatch Mountain foothills to allow the federal government to keep an eye on pioneer settlers' activities in downtown Salt Lake City, the fort's land has become the origin soil for the community's cultural and recreational touchstones, and the foundation of Utah's flagship R1 university.
With the fort's closure, the remaining Utah National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve soldiers still working and training in the Salt Lake City foothills have moved to a new $127 million, 227,000-square-foot Army Reserve Center at Camp Williams in Bluffdale. The remaining 50 acres of the Stephen A. Douglas Army Reserve Center will transfer to the University of Utah.
An exchange of gifts-a carved wooden key, a clay roof tile from a historic fort building, and a ceremonially folded flag-was a bittersweet moment for many of the veterans and reservists at the closure in Salt Lake City and ribbon-cutting in Bluffdale. They wanted the military installation so central to their youthful service to remain a fort.
President Taylor Randall understands the sentiment. The university intends to honor that history, he said. A coin with the university logo and a U.S. flag is deposited in a time capsule installed this week at Camp Williams, along with a newspaper from the day, a hard hat from Jacobsen Construction, cloth patches for the units based at the fort, and a camouflage uniform.
"As we receive these last 50 acres of Fort Douglas, we also know we receive a responsibility to honor all those who have served here," Randall said. "This site binds our two institutions together in the notion that we exist to do something bigger than ourselves. That history is not ending today. The mission will move forward in another location, but it is now our job to maintain that legacy."
The U takes ownership of the land in October. And then the planning will begin. The fort is included in the central College Town Magic neighborhood of the university's new campus master plan. Previous grants of land and buildings from the fort have created student housing, research and administrative spaces.
The century-old red brick buildings Nos. 102 through 108, the limestone stables built in 1886, and historic Soldier Circle will now be home to a new generation.
