Steve M. Barkin, an author and longtime journalism professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, passed away on Sunday, Mar. 1. The Ellicott City resident was 80.
An Atlanta native, Barkin attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied English. He later earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a doctorate in communications from Ohio State University.
Barkin began his journalism career as a reporter at the WSB radio station in Atlanta. He also worked as a host/producer for National Public Radio in Ohio. Later, he served as an editor at Highlights for Children magazine.
For more than three decades, Barkin taught journalism at the University of Maryland.
“He took great pride in his students and found lasting joy in watching them succeed long after they left his classroom,” wrote his family in a memorial post on the website of Sol Levinson & Bros. ”Over the course of his career, he interviewed presidents, governors, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Apollo 11 astronauts, among many others.”
In addition, Barkin was the author of the 2002 book “American Television News: The Media Marketplace and the Public Interest” (Routledge). He also wrote numerous articles and was a frequent lecturer.
In his spare time, Barkin enjoyed listening to music, popular culture and reading.
“Steve was an incredibly kind and gentle man with a sharp intellect and an endless curiosity about the world,” his family wrote. “He loved history and was a voracious reader, with a remarkable ability to read at astonishing speed — often finishing a 400-page book in just a few hours. He seemed to know every word in the English language and was, in many ways, a human dictionary. He especially enjoyed biographies, particularly those about Old Hollywood, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, and influential figures in journalism and media. He could watch ‘The Godfather Part II’ endlessly and never tired of it. …
“Above all else, Steve loved his family. He deeply cherished his wife and took immense pride in his children and their accomplishments. He loved his children’s spouses and found great happiness in seeing his family grow and in knowing that his children were raising proud Jewish families of their own. Steve was also a fighter. Over the past decade and a half, he faced numerous health challenges with strength, determination, and quiet resolve. He adored his grandchildren, and his family believes they were a powerful reason he continued to fight for
so many years.”
Barkin is survived by his wife of 56 years, Wendy; his children, Stephanie and Joel; their spouses, Adam and Cheryl; and his grandchildren, Noah, Alex, Nathan and Leah.
He was predeceased by his parents, Jake and Sophie Barkin; and his brother, Marshall Barkin.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, Mar. 4, at 1 p.m. at the Chapel at Judean Memorial Gardens, 16225 Batchellors Forest Road in Olney. The family will be in mourning immediately following the interment service at the Krantz Residence, 18611 Shadow Ridge Terrace in Olney.
Contributions in his memory may be sent to the Jewish Federation of Howard County, 10630 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 400, Columbia, Maryland 21044.
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