Rider University Professor Dies of a Sudden Heart Attack

Friday October 12, 2007, 4:20 PM

Photo Courtesy of Rider

David Rebovich

A Rider University professor who was well-known as a commentator on New Jersey politics died this morning of a heart attack.

David Rebovich, the managing director of the Rider University Institute for New Jersey Politics and frequent media commentator, was 58.

\”David suffered a massive heart attack this morning while teaching his Political Science 102 Class in the Fine Arts Building on the Lawrenceville campus,\” Rider President Mordechai Rozanski said in a statement released by the university. \”The Lawrence Township ambulance was called and administered CPR before taking him to Helene Fuld Hospital in Trenton, where he died a short time later.\”

Rebovich, who grew up in Perth Amboy and was a resident of Hamilton, earned a BA from Johns Hopkins Univeristy and an MA and PhD from Rutgers University in political science.

\”David Rebovich was a widely respected presence in New Jersey\’s political scene, offering insight that was universally acknowledged as nonpartisan, fair and vital to the public discourse,\” Gov. Jon Corzine said in a statement. \”During a lifetime in politics, David Rebovich\’s enthusiasm and idealism never waned.\”

Rebovich wrote a blog on politicsnj.com and was often quoted on TV, radio and newspapers, including The Star-Ledger.

\”David Rebovich\’s passing leaves a major void in New Jersey politics,\” state Republican Chairman Tom Wilson said in a statement. \”He was an honest, perceptive and passionate observer of politics here and his opinion was deservedly sought after. David was the rare academic whose insights reflected the complex realities of politics. His level of understanding, insight and knowledge made him the undisputed Dean of political observers in New Jersey.\”

\”David Rebovich was one of a kind,\” said Joe Cryan, chairman of the Democratic State Committee. \”He was an academic who understood the real world of New Jersey politics and he was a political scientist who knew that politics is much more than science.