MARQUETTE — Louis Graveraet Kaufman is a name etched in the fabric of Marquette’s history, gracing schools, buildings, and landmarks throughout the city. Now, discover the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of this remarkable figure with Ann Berman, author of “Louis Graveraet Kaufman: The Fabulous Michigan Gatsby Who Conquered Wall Street, Took Over General Motors, and Built the World’s Tallest Building.”

Join us at Peter White Public Library at 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, in the PWPL Community Room for a reading and book signing with Berman. With prose, she brings Kaufman’s larger-than-life story to vivid detail. As local author, Tyler R. Tichelaar notes, “From his magnificent lodge on Lake Superior to the Court of St. James, this sweeping story is pivotal to the history of banking, the automobile industry, Upper Michigan, and the New York skyline.”

Born in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Kaufman rose from a “barefoot boy” to a trailblazing financier. He built New York’s first branch banking network, financed the Empire State Building during the Great Depression, and orchestrated the famous 1916 takeover of General Motors. His bold vision also shaped Marquette, where he constructed Granot Loma–the world’s largest log lodge–and hosted glamorous Prohibition-era parties.

Copies of Louis Graveraet Kaufman will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, visit www.pwpl.info or contact Marty Achatz at 906-226-4322.