He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. A talented pianist, he wrote and accompanied Triangle shows and belonged to Cannon. He majored in music, receiving highest honors, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

After graduation from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, internship, and residency, he served two years focusing on mental hygiene at Fort Devens. He entered private practice in 1960, which he pursued for more than 50 years. He was dedicated to his patients’ care and committed to those at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research and Albert Einstein School of Medicine, where he was a clinical associate professor. 

Gene composed musicals and songs throughout his life, winning an ASCAP award in the 1960s for “I Wish You Well,” a song he wrote with a friend. He was a theater buff, had an incurable sweet tooth, and read The New York Times and The New Yorker religiously. Every friend who came to his house was immediately considered part of the family and treated to endless cups of coffee, songs, and bad puns. 
Gene is survived by his wife of 67 years, June; children Bob, Ellen ’88, and Ted; and two grandchildren.