Daniel John Zimmerman

Dr. Daniel John Zimmerman passed on to his next adventure on December 1, 2022, at age 77 in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

Born in Buffalo, NY, Dan graduated from the University of Buffalo with a Doctorate in English. He began his career at Middlesex College in 1979 and retired as a Professor Emeritus after the 2020-2021 academic year. During that time, he served the College in many roles, most notably as Instructor and Professor of English (1979-2021); Advisor to Quo Vadis (1979-1983); Associate Chairperson (2004-2006); and Chairperson of the English Department (2006-2011).

Dan was a lifelong poet and scholar, in love with the written word and the act of learning and teaching. He published in numerous professional literary journals and authored several books of poetry, including the critically acclaimed Post Avant (Pavement Saw Press, 2002). His doctoral work on visionary poet William Blake is still cited by scholars and students of literature.

Generous with his talents, Dan was a founding member of Middlesex: A Literary Journal and served as associate editor (2008-2020). Moreover, he gave multiple poetry readings and presentations over several decades for the Middlesex College community, as well as several arts and cultural institutions in the greater Middlesex County area. He deeply cared about his students and worked closely with the faculty at Middlesex, including long-time friend, Poet, and English Department Chair, Matthew Spano, who remembers his kindness, generosity, and humor.

Dan was a passionate man and explored other cultures by learning as much as he could about art, history, language, poetry, food, and music. His tastes were varied and eclectic. He was known by his friends and family as a unique character who was always wearing a smile. He made everything magical and was always sincere and thoughtful.

He has a loving daughter, a multi-media artist, and a theatre designer, Rachel Alexis Zimmerman. His daughter remembers her father smelling like old books and coffee and the funniest person she's ever known. He taught her how to whistle with grass, skip stones on a river, and think out of the box. Rachel remembers road trips with her dad, exploring the east coast and Canada in his old station wagon and singing songs the whole time.

Dan also has a son, chef Andrew Zimmerman. His family and friends meant so much to him and he meant the world to them, including his nieces Lisa Pfadt and Jacki Durham, as well as his very close cousin, Wendy Murphy. His sister, Judy Hartman, was his best friend and said he was the best brother anyone could ever have.

His long-time friend and artist, Richard Sturm, met Dan in the Fall of 1965 at the University of Buffalo (SUNYB) and collaborated on a project that became "See All the People", (Illustrated poems). He remembers that Dan had an infectious wit and laugh. He had a twinkle in his eye that I will sorely miss.

As he was a dedicated poet, we leave you with a poem he wrote in his last year.

one year at a time

this spring, spring won't die, though it seems to.

flowers crumble after frost, though grass defies it.

maybe the flowers just did their duty.

I haven't seen a frog or snake in years.

after grammar school, I'd fill coffee cans

with garter snakes to let loose in my yard.

yesterday, a bumblebee inspected me

& left, satisfied I bore no pollen.

I thanked it that it thought it possible.

may every day echo the approaching buzz

& swerve that herald of the season gave.

better weather forecasted for tomorrow

4.19.2022