Nathaniel Kirtman

August 6, 1947 - February 23, 2022 Nathaniel Kirtman was born on August 6, 1947, in Gray, Louisiana to Louis and Julia (Moten) Kirtman. His early years were spent in Gray and then Houston, Texas. The family later migrated to San Francisco, California where his father was able to join the construction trade unions, an impossibility in the segregated South. Nathaniel finished junior high school and then attended George Washington High School from 1962 to 1965, where he became an accomplished football player as a running back and linebacker, and as a hurdler and sprinter in track and field. In 1964, he won The Chronicle-Thom McAn Trophy, was Northern California Back of the Year, was named to the first team of the NorCal All America Team, was named to the All-America Football Squad and was the San Francisco recipient of the Hall of Fame Award for Scholarship and Academic Achievement. Nathaniel was the first African-American from San Francisco to receive a congressional appointment to the Naval Academy of the United States. Recruited heavily, he ultimately chose to attend Stanford. While there, he majored in Sociology and played running back for the now named Stanford Cardinal from freshman to junior year. In an article on why he chose Stanford, Nathaniel said "Success in athletics depends totally on academic and social stability. If one is not at ease socially and successful academically, success in athletics is impossible."

In 1968, while at Stanford, Nathaniel left football and shifted his attention to the social injustices plaguing the Black community. He tutored Black high school students in East Palo Alto, California, became co-chairman of the Black Student Union, and was appointed to Stanford's Human Relations Committee. As co-chairman of the Black Student Union, Nathaniel was vocal in his opposition to the unequal treatment of Black athletes and institutionalized racism. He joined his classmates in demanding a more racially diverse college staff, raising the minimum wage, allowing Black students to work on local community projects instead of on-campus jobs and establishing an Afro-American Studies Department. Nathaniel argued that Stanford should not play football against teams that did not allow Black people to play – Stanford agreed. Nathaniel graduated from Stanford in 1969 with a B.A. in Sociology.

Nathaniel was a devout Muslim. He and his wife Deborah both converted to Islam in the early 1970s. Also in the 1970s, he served as principal of the Sister Clara Mohammed School located in Oakland, California. Nathaniel and his family attended Masjidul Waritheen Mosque located in Oakland, California for over 30 years. He studied Quaranic Arabic and gave himself the Arabic name "Hasan".

Nathaniel spent 29 years working for the Alameda County Probation Department, where he worked in juvenile institutions, the adult investigation unit, the juvenile investigations unit, and the juvenile supervision unit. He served as Group Counselor, Deputy Probation Officer I, II, and III, and Juvenile Court Officer. Nathaniel was recognized for his work in the Probation Department, being named Employee of the Year and receiving a Commendation from the County of Alameda Board of Supervisors.

Long after leaving his football career behind, Nathaniel continued to be honored. In 1998, Nathaniel was inducted into the George Washington High School Athletic Hall of Fame and in 2000, he was inducted into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame. As part of his induction into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame, the Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco proclaimed May 24, 2000, as Nathaniel "Nate" Kirtman Day.

To his family, Nathaniel was a wonderful cook, an active listener, extremely intelligent (and funny), a lifelong learner, a lover of art and jazz music (particularly Black jazz musicians), a constant presence, and a fierce protector of his family whom he always made feel safe and loved. Nathaniel's favorite place to be was at home with his wife and children. After retirement, he and his wife moved to Pasadena, California. Nathaniel enjoyed the Southern California weather and only in Pasadena did his family see him regularly wear shorts. He spent several years collecting international and domestic stamps of Black Americans, creating intricate stamp mosaics with Islamic themes. Nathaniel loved cooking for his wife, children, and grandchildren immensely, and had a knack for creating the best recipes that kept everyone coming back for more. He could also be found at the kitchen table having coffee with his wife while watching the news and working on Sudoku puzzles (in pen, of course), digitizing music and videos for his children, or at his desk browsing new stamps.

Nathaniel was a brilliant thinker, a steady and calming figure to all around him, a cherished husband, and dedicated father and mentor to his children's friends, community members, and beyond. Along with his ceaseless cultural passions and trenchant analyses of life, he keened to the beauty of music, the arts and significance of Black imagery, and the delights of cooking and sharing excellent food.

Nathaniel met his wife, Deborah Hammond Kirtman, while they were both students at Stanford and they have been married for over 50 years. Nathaniel is survived by his wife, his children Nathaniel (Michele) Kirtman III, Amina (Andrew) Portelli, Khahlil (Mami) Kirtman, and Nisaa (Todd) Kirtman, his grandchildren Micah, Mira, Asa, Isabel, Kaya, Andrew, Khol, and Nathaniel, and his siblings Theodora Kirtman and Michael (Chandra) Kirtman. Nathaniel was preceded in death by two of his siblings, Louis (Ann) Kirtman, Jr. and Beverly Kirtman. Nathaniel is also survived by a large number of nieces and nephews, all of whom he loved.

A funeral will be held on Friday, March 25th in Claremont, California.

May Allah accept Nathaniel's good deeds and enter him into Jannat ul Firdous. "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return" [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:152-157].