Dr Stephen Jay Press

Dr. Stephen J. Press passed away in the company of his loved ones on March 6th, 2016.

Dr. Stephen J. Press was a physician, practicing sports chiropractic and nutritional medicine in Englewood, NJ since 1978. He was born in the Bronx to the late Howard and Renée Press, of the Bronx, NY, Tenafly, NJ, and Boynton Beach, FL. He was a cellist and clarinetist, and due to the Vietnam War, was forced to choose between Juilliard (to which he was accepted), and studying science.

Dr. Press graduated from Tenafly High School, class of 1965, and while attending Fairleigh Dickinson University during the evenings, ran a security business in Englewood. During this time, he joined the Englewood Auxiliary Police, of which he became the chief in six years. He was a member of the Englewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and was the first nationally registered EMT in New Jersey, as well as the first, then non-physician to become an instructor in CPR for the Heart Association. He served on many committees, including the Bergen County Commission on Emergency Medical Services, which instituted the paramedic program in Bergen County. He left the corps in 1978 to move to Iowa to finish medical school at Palmer College, graduating magna cum laude, with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree in March 1978.

In 1982, he ran unsuccessfully for Englewood Councilman-at-large, losing to Eddie Haden, the running mate of Steve Rothman.

Turning his sights on politics in his own profession, he rose to Board Member of the American Chiropractic Association Sports Council, and then founded the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic, known in French as “FICS,” for which he served as its first president. He also founded the International Academy of Olympic Chiropractic Officers, known as the IAOCO.

In 1988, he travelled to the USSR, on a delegation organized by a former envoy to the Kremlin of the Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau of Canada, and this began a sojourn of some years in which he essentially commuted to Moscow every four to six weeks. In 1991, the Chairman of the USSR Sports Committee appointed him Chief Physician of the Winter Olympic Team of the Soviet Union for the XVIth Olympic Winter games, to be held in Albertville, France. By then, the USSR had disintegrated, leaving Dr. Press the only physician in Olympic history to be Chief Doctor for twelve countries. Also, since chiropractic at that time was illegal in France - thanks to the Olympic treaty, he was the first chiropractic doctor to ever practice his profession legally on the territory of France.

While in Russia, he started the Russian Chiropractic Association, and served as its president for some years as well. He also earned a Ph.D. degree in sports medicine, and managed to do it in the Russian language. Dr. Press was well known as a linguist, speaking Russian and French fluently, as well as conversational Spanish, and diminishing amounts of 12 other languages.

Later, he founded the Chiropractic Wikipedia, known as WikiChiro, and later, the wiki site for the City of Englewood, called WikiEnglewood. The latter earned him a place on the board of the Englewood Historical Society.

He authored several books, including an autobiography called “Passion, Profession, and Politics,” and a comprehensive “History of Sports Chiropractic.”

He was an ardent Freemason. He was past-master, and chairman of the Trustee Committee of William F. Burk Lodge #230, of F&AM, Bogota, NJ; member of the Fraternal Order of Police, lodge #46, and a member of the Englewood Rotary Club.

While Dr. Press was married several times, he leaves two children, Robert M. Press, MS, DC of Wyckoff, NJ, and Alyssa N. Press of Fair Lawn. At the time of his passing, he was married to the love of his life, Olga Serova Press, MD, RN, formerly of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Memorial donations may be made in his name to the “Founder’s Medal Fund” at the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic.

Memorial services, are open to the general public, and will be held at the Gutterman and Musicant Funeral Home at 402 Park Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 on Thursday, March 10th, 2016 from 6-9 pm.

Burial will be held at Cedar Park Cemetery, and will be limited to family only.

Please take a moment to sign the online guess book. You may leave a note for the family or perhaps a memory you would like to share.

A Virtual Candle may also be placed in the guestbook if you wish.

We at Gutterman and Musicant wish to express our heartfelt thanks on behalf of the mourners for your support during this difficult time.