Robert Zussman

1948 - 2024

Robert Zussman

Northampton, MA - Robert Zussman, June 6th 1948- November 27th 2024

Robert Zussman, a long-time resident of Northampton, died of lung cancer at his home on November 27th. He was a well-known sociologist who finished his career at UMass Amherst.

Raised in Providence and Scarsdale, he graduated from Scarsdale High in 1966. His mother Bernis was an artist and homemaker; his father Hyman was an executive at Ciba-Giegy. Robert attended Columbia University, where he earned a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in sociology.

After obtaining his Ph.D. in 1982, Zussman taught at Columbia for five years before moving to SUNY Stony Brook in 1987. Ten years later he joined the faculty at UMass Amherst, where his wife Naomi Gerstel had been teaching for twenty years. He retired in 2014.

Robert was the author and editor of a number of prize-winning books, including Mechanics of the Middle Class, about the political views of engineers, and Intensive Care, on ethical dilemmas and decisions in intensive care units, as well as several articles on what he called "autobiographical occasions," when people are called upon to sum up their lives and accomplishments. Robert was beloved as a generous, meticulous editor and mentor by generations of Ph.D. students. As editor of the journal Qualitative Sociology for many years, he also earned gratitude and admiration from dozens of authors whose prose he gently, carefully improved.

As a lifelong Yankees fan, it is fitting that Robert's last book, Yankelytics, a combination of memoir, social science, and statistics, was published online just before his death. He lived long enough to see the Yankees' "worst inning ever," in losing game five of the 2024 World Series.

Robert is survived by his wife Naomi Gerstel, daughter Katie Gerstel, son-in-law Max Shindler, grandchildren Charlotte and Noah, brother Mark and sister-in-law Barbara, and many devoted friends, students, colleagues, and admirers.

After several years with worsening COPD, Robert was diagnosed in late May with advanced lung cancer. The doctors soon told him that he had a few days to a few weeks to live. Never one to take doctors' opinions as the final word, he survived for another five months. His last words: "Don't smoke."