Necrology

Steven Jeffrey Zuckerman '74

Mar. 30, 2023

Steven Jeffrey Zuckerman ’74 died in Baton Rouge, La., on March 30, 2023. Born on October 31, 1952, he was raised in Fair Lawn, N.J., and came to Hamilton from Fair Lawn High School. He majored in biology in preparation for a career in medicine. Apart from his academic studies, in his first year he played on the basketball team and throughout his time on the Hill became intrigued with magic, developing skills while entertaining others.

Upon graduating, Steve followed an unusual path to fulfilling his medical education. He traveled first to Italy, learned the language, and enrolled in courses in medical science at the University of Milan, completing the first two years of medical school over four years. Returning to the United States in 1978, he enrolled at the Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, a part of Rutgers University, and earned his M.D. in 1980. 

Both his internship and subsequent residency training in internal medicine took place at Parkland Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, both in Dallas, between 1980 and 1983. It was during that period that he met and married Marialden deFuentes, who proved to be an expert in the organization and maintenance of medical records. They would have two sons and a daughter.

Departing Texas in 1983, Steve and Mari relocated to New York City where he completed a second residency at the Neurological Institute of New York and the Columbia University Medical Center.

In 1986, they moved one last time to Baton Rouge where he opened a private practice and Mari became his office manager. Among the attributes he brought to his work was the continued use of magic to entertain himself and others, including patients. On one occasion, according to a friend of his twin sons, Steve levitated briefly, or so it appeared. His home included a “magic room” reached by opening a rotating bookcase. 

Steve and Mari remained thereafter residents of Baton Rouge. In 1999, he reported that he was the team doctor for the Louisiana State University football team. Sadly, in 2009, Mari died following a long illness, and their son Nathan died sometime thereafter.

Steve remained connected to the College by volunteering with the Career Center.

Steven J. Zuckerman is survived by a daughter and son.

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