Councilman Barry Grodenchik presented Dr. Sheldon Schwartz on his 101st birthday with a New York City citation at his Holliswood home on July 21.
“From building a hospital to winning sports trophies to playing a mean game of bridge, Dr. Schwartz teaches us that living life fully is key to a long and bountiful life,” Grodenchik said. “He is a pillar of the medical field, his family and our community.”
Schwartz was chief of the Clinic of Arthritis and Rheumatism at Bellevue Hospital for more than 30 years. He became the first chair of Rheumatology at Long Island Jewish Hospital.
Thereafter, Schwartz built Hillcrest General Hospital and was chief of medicine there for 25 years.
Born in Brooklyn, Schwartz grew up playing tackle football at Richmond High School. He later graduated cum laude from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and enrolled in NYU School of Medicine, where he became a professor of clinical medicine and fellow of the Academy of Internal Medicine.
Retirement did not slow Schwartz down. He lectured and drove well into his 90s and still stays up to date with cutting-edge medical research and journals. He has won trophies for golf, tennis and swimming and is an accomplished artist and collector of antique Belleek pottery.
Married to Lucy Aronin until her death in 2010, he remarried Marlene Wadler after getting to know her over duplicate bridge, which they played daily at JASA Holliswood Senior Center.
Schwartz enjoys Broadway, museums and parks. He attends synagogue every Saturday and on holidays at Young Israel of Holliswood with Rabbi Moshe Taub.
