Arthur A. Bushkin

In Memoriam: Arthur Bushkin

Arthur Allan Bushkin, 80, writer, philanthropist, and social activist of Vienna, Virginia, passed away on February 9, 2024, at the Reston Hospital Center from an unexpected heart attack. Arthur was born on July 11, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, to Ben and Helen (Beller) Bushkin and is survived by his daughter, son, and sister.

Arthur graduated from Senn High School in Chicago and later graduated from college at MIT, where he spent eight years living in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

Art’s professional life centered around “giving back” his expertise and other resources for the betterment of society. In the 1960s, Art was present at the creation of what was to become the Internet, working with ARPA in the Defense Department. He taught computer science at MIT and Wellesley. In the 1970s, Art served as Director of President Carter’s Privacy Initiative and led the Administration’s effort to enact a Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978. He was also the U.S. Delegate to the OECD on Information, Computer, and Communications Policy. In the early 1990s, he was president of Bell Atlantic Video Services, which led to the creation of video-on-demand. From 1999 to 2009, he was the CEO of the Stargazer Foundation, focusing on online services for education, communications, safety, and emergency response.

On Valentine’s Day 2013, Art and his 2nd wife Barbara along with CNN.com published their Lifelong Valentine story, spreading it widely online. Later, they published their own book version called Lifelong Valentines. This eventually evolved into a Kindness project, which became the main focus of their work together. They also supported local charities such as Martha’s Table, the Newseum, and several others. In keeping with their joint commitment to daily acts of kindness, they would offer food and drinks to service and delivery personnel and find ways of helping people in times of great need.

After Barbara passed away in 2019, the Kindness Project officially became the tax-exempt, non-profit Kindness Cloud Foundation, a Global Kindness Movement. Since 2019, this online movement has spread to reach millions of people worldwide with Kindness messages and resources. Now, with Art’s passing, it will continue as a testament to their commitment to kindness and making the world a better place.

Art deeply believed in the transformative power of kindness. During his lifetime, he was privileged to inspire countless people from many walks of life and to embrace and spread kindness. His hope was that they, too, would use their unique talents and skills to act with kindness, thereby inspiring others to do the same. Those whose lives he touched directly will always remember him for this.

To honor his legacy, please spread kindness in your community and contribute to the effort to make the world a Kinder place. You can learn more about this ongoing global Kindness Movement by visiting KindnessCloud.org and/or Facebook.com/KindnessCloud.