Richard Jay Steckel

Richard Jay “Rick” Steckel passed away on June 20, 2024, in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 88. Born on April 17, 1936 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Rick was the son of Morris Leo Steckel, a physician, and Lucille Yellin Steckel, a Spanish teacher. He moved to Los Angeles during his childhood and attended Hollywood High School.

Rick graduated magna cum laude with a BA in biochemistry from Harvard University in 1957 and went on to earn his MD, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School in 1961. Following his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, he completed his radiology residency at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He served in the Public Health Service in Tennessee during the Vietnam War and completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1967, Rick began a distinguished tenure at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he was a professor until 2000. He was the founding director of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA from 1974 to 1994 and served as the Chairman of the UCLA Department of Radiological Sciences from 1994 to 2000. During his professional life, Rick published over 130 books and peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Rick was also a lifelong violinist who played in youth orchestras, movie studios in Hollywood, and chamber music groups, including a trio in his living room on the morning of his last day. With other UCLA residents, he cofounded the Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles, a free clinic where he volunteered for many years. He and his wife Julie were world travelers who filled their home with art objects collected on their many trips. Upon retiring to Santa Barbara in 2000, he played first violin in a quartet, enjoyed attending concerts, served on the board of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, and volunteered teaching radiology residents at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Rick’s legacy is marked by his profound impact on medical education and cancer research, as well as his dedication to community service and the arts. He is survived by his wife of 64 years Julie Raskin Steckel; his daughter Jan Steckel; his son David Steckel; his sister Gail Gliner; and his granddaughter Kat Warnusz-Steckel. He leaves behind a community of colleagues, students, and fellow musicians who were enriched by his generosity, sense of humor, intellect, and compassion.