Dr. Hugh E Evans

Dr. Hugh Evans, age 90, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2025. Born on July 6, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Evans was a distinguished physician, prolific author, and insightful intellectual. During his more than 60-year career, Dr. Evans taught and mentored hundreds of pediatric residents, thousands of medical students, and saved the lives of countless newborns.

Born in 1934 to David and Geraldine Evans, he graduated Columbia cum laude in 1954 and received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in 1958. He interned at Johns Hopkins, where he would serve as Chief Pediatric Resident in 1963, following a stint at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda with his new bride Ruth. Certified in Pediatrics in 1964, time at the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Medicine, Mount Sinai, Columbia University and Columbia Presbyterian followed as he rose through the ranks towards full professorship, which arrived in 1973 with his appointment as a Professor at SUNY Downstate in the Department of Pediatrics and accompanying position as Director of Pediatrics at Jewish Hospital & Medical Center of Brooklyn (now Interfaith Medical Center). In 1976 Evans was certified as a sub-specialist in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine.

Joining UMDNJ as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 1985, a position he would hold for the next five years, Evans would ultimately serve at UMDNJ/Rutgers Medical School and University Hospital for the next 37 years. A former student and later colleague say: “He is and will remain to me the great professor from whom I learned most of what I know in Pediatrics.” Another, now the chair of his own department, credited his professional success to training at Evans’ side.

A prolific author of hundreds of scientific articles, abstracts, and presentations, Evans also won praise for his book, “The Hidden Campaign: FDR’s Health and the 1944 Election,” detailing a potential conspiracy to hide the president’s true health condition from the public during that election. Evans’ philanthropic activities included establishing and funding the Hugh E. Evans, M.D. Legacy Fund for research programs within the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ and the Ruth L. Evans Memorial Fund at Englewood Health, where he was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2015. He also served terms on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey State Opera and two terms on the Tenafly Health Board. He was an active member of the Bergen County Republican party.

Evans married his beloved wife, Ruth, and lived for nearly 40 years in Tenafly, New Jersey, where they raised their children, Margo and Marc, until Ruth’s untimely passing at the age of 59. In 2008, Evans met Linda at a medical conference in Boston and was married one year later. For nearly 16 years, he committed himself as a dedicated and loving husband to Linda. Together they travelled frequently to tropical locations, enjoyed gourmet dinners with dear friends, and contributed and attended multiple philanthropic events and galas, including at Englewood Hospital. They enjoyed spending quality loving time with their Standard poodle, Boris, a cherished family member, loyal companion and a source of endless joy and comfort.

Dr. Evans was a voracious reader and lifelong learner; and his insightful perspectives enriched conversations in both academic and everyday settings. He was also known for his quick wit and ability to find humor in everyday life. Dr. Evans found joy in the simple things, like a quiet evening at home with Linda and Boris sitting outdoors with a good cigar and his favorite classical music playing softly on his portable radio in the background.

Dr. Evans will be remembered for his brilliant mind, gentle spirit, and profound contributions to both medicine and literature. He is survived by his loving wife Linda; his children, Margo, and her husband, David, Marc, and his wife, Addie; and his grandchildren Adam, Allison, Hayley and Ella. He is further survived by nephews and nieces, Todd and Jodi, Johnny and Julianna, Marietta and Patrick, Julia, Lana, Jenna, Richie, Farrah, Jeremiah, Josiah, and Job; brother-in-law, Larry and his wife Deanne; sisters-in-law Susan and Elizabeth and her husband John; brother-in-law Richie and wife Annie; his in-laws Richard and Lorraine; and countless devoted friends and colleagues. May his memory be a blessing.