Stephen Morley Rucker

Rucker, Stephen Morley
May 24, 1938 - August 28, 2010
Stephen Morley Rucker was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 24, 1938 and died in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday, August 28, 2010, after a severe stroke and several weeks in Saint John's Hospital, Santa Monica.
When Stephen came to Los Angeles to work with California firms, he was discovered by the Hollywood film community who recommended him to each other as the person to help guide them on their investments. Steve was soon nick-named "Investment Advisor to the Stars". Among his clients were Barbara Streisand and Cary Grant. When Ronald Reagan was President, he and Steve had offices in the same building. They became buddies and Reagan frequently invited Steve to join him in his offices for an afternoon get-together.
Rucker did his undergraduate studies in the University of Washington where one of his classmates was Bill Gates. Stephen and Bill remained lifelong friends.
Attracted to business from his earliest years, Stephen persuaded his parents to let him do his Graduate studies at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia where he graduated with high honors and an MBA in 1960.
He joined the U.S. Army and became a Commissioned Officer serving in 1960-61.
Returning to his business career, Stephen Rucker joined Goldman Sachs where he was a Senior Vice-President from 1961 to 1972.
From 1972 to 1974 Rucker was the Principal of Shields Investments before joining Kidder-Peabody in Los Angeles where he was Senior Vice-President from 1974 to 1981.
From 1981 to 1986 Rucker was Senior Vice-President of Morgan Stanley/California.
He transferred to Wertheim Investments in 1986 where he was Executive Vice-President until 1989.
Rucker finished his formal business career at Donaldson, Lufkin, Jenrette/Credit Suisse where he was Executive Vice-President from 1989 to 2001.
In his first marriage Rucker had two children, James, who is a Real Estate Consultant with Sotheby's International Realty, and Kim whose husband is a Senior Physician at Cedars Sinai Hospital. Some years after his divorce, Stephen Rucker married Jennifer Pytko, a Las Vegas Business Broker who attended him day and night in his final illness while he was treated at Saint John's and was with him when he died.