William Sachs Goldman, professor and philanthropist, dies in plane crash

William Sachs Goldman was a beloved teacher. William Sachs Goldman was a beloved teacher. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close William Sachs Goldman, professor and philanthropist, dies in plane crash 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

In the hours after William Sachs Goldman died in a small plane crash that also injured his two children and their nanny, he was widely remembered as much more than just the grandson of prominent San Francisco philanthropists.

To friends, the 38-year-old was just Bill. Bill, the brilliant scholar who held a doctorate in European history from UC Berkeley. Bill, the assistant professor who livened up staff meetings at the University of San Francisco with his garrulous laugh. And Bill the pilot who loved flying his private five-seater plane, sometimes for Angel Flight West, a charity that transports critically ill patients.

It was in that single-engine, Cirrus SR-22 that he died Thursday after crashing just north of Highway 12 in Sonoma. The incident was reported at 12:46 p.m. just after the plane had taken off from the only runway at Sonoma Skypark Airport. His school-aged children and their Italian nanny sustained critical to severe injuries, Schell-Vista Fire Protection District officials said.

The minors were transported by helicopter to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and the woman was sent by ambulance to Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa. Hospital officials were unable to provide updated conditions for any of the victims Friday. Calls to Goldman’s wife, Serra Falk Goldman, an attorney at Falk, Cornell & Associates law firm in San Carlos, were not returned.

“Investigators are focused on documenting the site and any perishable evidence,” said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. “It could take a year to get to the probable cause of the crash.”

In video footage taken after the crash, officers surround the crumpled plane. One of its wings is ripped off, and ragged metal parts scatter the ground. A red-and-white striped parachute lies deflated on the grass. Cirrus aircraft have parachutes as an emergency measure — but officials could not say whether it was deployed before the crash or as a result of the plane’s impact.

Goldman received his pilot’s license in February 2009, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. His plane was registered out of Palo Alto, according to an agency spokeswoman. Goldman had addresses in Sonoma and San Francisco.

USF President Paul Fitzgerald praised Goldman as an “accomplished scholar, a beloved and generous teacher, and a valued member of our community.”

“He will be greatly missed by his colleagues, students and the countless alumni who were inspired by him in and out of the classroom,” Fitzgerald said in a statement about Goldman, who was an assistant professor in international studies at the university.

Elliot Neaman, a professor of history at USF, said Goldman was a “sweet man” who never alluded to his privileged upbringing.

The Goldman surname is associated with millions of dollars in collective assets and a history of prestigious giving. Goldman’s grandparents, Richard and Rhoda, created the Goldman Environmental Prize, also known as the “Green Nobel,” which gives out $150,000 awards to fund efforts to protect and enhance the environment.

“He never in any way let you know that he came from such a famous family or in any way had that kind of air of someone who came from privilege,” Neaman said. “He was funny and personal and extremely smart. He was very, very good at what he did as a scholar. We all really liked him and are shocked that this happened.”

Thomas Dandelet, a professor at UC Berkeley and Goldman’s dissertation adviser, remembered his former pupil as an optimist who had a zest for life. The two would often chat over large lunches, or a glass of wine in the evening. They attended historical conferences together in Spain and Italy. Dandelet went to Goldman’s wedding and frequently saw his children, George and Marie. It was a long friendship that went back to 2003, he said.

Back then, Goldman was applying to UC Berkeley, where Dandelet was on the admissions committee. In his application, Goldman reflected on studying abroad in Spain as an undergraduate at Yale University. He fell in love with the richness of the country’s culture.

“He just had a lot of intellectual curiosity,” Dandelet said. “It was that early trip to Spain that sparked his love for the field. It was something that never really went away. He was a rising young talent taken from us before the fullness of his time. He had already contributed a great deal. He was just getting started in some ways.”

And, Dandelet said, Goldman never had a negative thing to say about anyone — even his fellow graduate students.

“I never heard a bitter thing come out of his mouth, which is pretty rare in my profession,” he said. “He’s good-natured and generous. He always understood how much good fortune he had.”

Daniel Sokatch, a CEO for the New Israel Fund, a nonprofit supporting democracy and civil rights in Israel, also mourned Goldman, who served on the organization’s board of directors.

“His vision, idealism, and sharp sense of humor sustained us all,” Sokatch said in a statement Friday. “Our thoughts are with his family, and especially his children. As we begin to process this loss, we know that his memory will be a blessing, as was his life.”

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn