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Date of death October 11, 2010
Professor Stephen Bloom passes away
By: Ruchika Sharma
Posted: 10/15/10
On October 11, 2010, Stevens Professor Stephen Bloom passed away at around 9 p.m. after battling illness for two years. A member of the community for 43 years, Professor Bloom came to Stevens in 1967 after teaching at both Bucknell and MIT. At Stevens, he taught and advised while still making publications in the mathematical world. For ten years, between 1996 and 2006, Bloom served as the head of the Computer Science department, where he formed bonds with many people in the field. There's no doubt that Stevens took a major hit from his loss as Bloom was known as a loving and caring individual by many students and faculty. One of his mourners, Humanities department professor Harold Dorn, agreed to give insight into Bloom's life and personality.
"His intelligence and sense of humor has lit up my life in the past 6 years. From the beginning we formed rapidly a very close and steadfast bond." Dorn also explained how he would go to meet his family weekly for dinners, and how Bloom would never shy away from embracing their friendship. In a way, both friends took care of each other; Dorn would even bring Bloom to Stevens weekly, while Bloom would accompany Dorn to many of his humanities functions. "He was a very progressive thinker, very politically engaged, which is what I think oriented him to the humanities. We weren't professional colleagues, and I think that's what makes our friendship very special, the fact that we were still so close."
Bloom's health began to decline in 2008 when he suffered from lung trouble and had five vertebrae removed. "Over the next two years, his health bounced up and down," explained Dorn. "He finally got back up and started to come to college again." Dorn added that even though Bloom had recently been removed from hospice and was put on palliative care, he would still come to Stevens often to fill his position as the head of the faculty club. "Two weeks ago there was a get-together for all faculty, and though it was obvious his condition was [fading], he still decided to come and put his hundred percent into it. He was a very Stevens guy."
Aside from his professional duties, Bloom was very involved in music, as he was a clarinetist. From what Dorn remembers, Bloom practiced everyday and was almost on a professional level. He was also known to play in a trio at the Stevens library and delved deeply into classical music. "He wasn't shy on showcasing his wonderful talent."
Stevens junior John Horgan also agreed on Bloom's brilliance, as he had him as a professor. "He was very intelligent, someone who knew what he was saying very well. It's a surprising feeling, knowing that he won't be here anymore." Many people come and go from the Stevens community, but this time it's a little different. Dorn was certainly a professor who many students and faculty admired.
Interim President Korfiatis says that details for a memorial service will come soon.
© Copyright 2010 The Stute
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Peter Schoenbach
I knew Steve before attending Central as our mothers were friends and colleagues as visual artists.
I remember visiting the Blooms, Buddy, Hilaire and brother Peter in Arden, Delaware where the brothers impressed us with their sensational recorder playing (before graduating to the clarinet and oboe).
While they lived in Oak Lane we began our early performing as beginning woodwind players and then proceeded to the Central and All City orchestras. At Swarthmore College we were Freshman room-mates and played in the orchestra and frequent chamber music concerts.
After graduation we played together in virtually every five year college reunion, and constantly exchanged note and e-mails about performances or recordings we had enjoyed.
I will miss Steve deeply and always associate the sound of beautiful clarinet playing with his memory.
Edward "Jeff" Ludwig
I remember Steve from Physics class. He always was smiling and had pink cheeks. To me he was the epitome of pleasantness. Furthermore, we had 1,2,3,4, and 5 star problems in our physics textbook. I could only solve the four star problems, and NEVER solve the five star problems. Steve could ALWAYS solve the five star problems. After I turned my homeworks in, I would ask him how to solve the five star problems. When he explained it to me, it was always sooooo obvious, sooooo simple. Yet, I never could see it without his telling me. I feel honored to have been a physics student in a class with Prof. Stephen Bloom. Further, he had not played the clarinet until he started Central. When he took it up, he practiced 6 hours a day, and in a short time became the first clarinetist in the all-Philadelphia high school orchestra. He really gave meaning to the term "high achiever."