Murray Zucker, PENN Rider

Murray graduated Penn in 1967 majoring in history and pre-med. Shortly after starting college, he and a few friends started a successful business venture – the Student Sandwich Service – providing snacks for dorm students late into the night. Fearing competition and innovation, the University shut the venture down and tried to provide the service themselves. Murray then found his calling when working as an orderly at the University Hospital and realized it was better to be the doctor than the orderly. This propelled him to a successful career in medicine and then psychiatry. Murray went to University of Rochester Medical School and then did his internship at UCLA. He went on to serve two years in the Indian Health Service as Medical Director of the Laguna/Acoma Pueblo reservations in New Mexico (not far from the Alumni Bike route).

He then finished his residency in psychiatry at UCLA, was on the clinical faculty, and was Director of Psychiatry at Northridge Hospital ,where he founded the Eating Disorder Program, and headed a multidisciplinary group practice.

Murray has been very fortunate to be married to his beautiful and gracious wife Roberta. Their son David, now 20, is a junior at Brandeis University and pre-med (despite advise to go into law or finance). His two older daughters are Timna, 39 and a mother of three with a Masters degree in Education, and living in Chapel Hill, NC, and Jessica, 35, living in Los Angeles and has just finished her PhD. in psychology after getting a Masters in Public Health and then a Masters in Women’s Education.

In 1990 Murray and his family moved to Sonoma County for the good life. He has been a Medical Director at United Behavioral Health and previously at Health Net working on solving the nation’s health care problems. His community activities include: Chairman of the Board of the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, Board Member of AIPAC, and member of the Advisory Board of Tel Aviv University.

After attending his 40th Reunion at Penn recently and then hearing about this Alumni Bike Race while riding with Bruce Lederman, he was inspired to join the team to participate in this worthy cause.