Steve Barkin

Steve Barkin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1945. He was the son of Jake and Sophie Barkin and the brother of Marshall Barkin, all of whom predeceased him.

Steve married the love of his life, Wendy Barkin, on January 3, 1970. Their marriage spanned more than five decades and was the foundation of his life.

He is survived by his wife, Wendy; his children, Stephanie and Joel; their spouses, Adam and Cheryl; and his beloved grandchildren, Noah, Alex, Nathan, and Leah.

Steve attended Washington University, where he studied English. He went on to earn a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and later received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Steve began his career as a radio reporter in Atlanta, later serving as an editor at Highlights Magazine. He spent more than three decades as a professor of journalism at the University of Maryland, where he made life-long friends and was deeply passionate about teaching. He took great pride in his students and found lasting joy in watching them succeed long after they left his classroom.

He was the author of the book American Television News: The Media Marketplace and the Public Interest, along with numerous articles, and delivered lectures around the world. Over the course of his career, he interviewed presidents, governors, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Apollo 11 astronauts, among many others.

Steve was an incredibly kind and gentle man with a sharp intellect and an endless curiosity about the world. He loved history and was a voracious reader, with a remarkable ability to read at astonishing speed - often finishing a 400-page book in just a few hours. He seemed to know every word in the English language and was, in many ways, a human dictionary. He especially enjoyed biographies, particularly those about Old Hollywood, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, and influential figures in journalism and media. He could watch The Godfather Part II endlessly and never tired of it.

He loved music, especially going to the symphony and to musicals, and had a special fondness for all things Motown.

Above all else, Steve loved his family. He deeply cherished his wife and took immense pride in his children and their accomplishments. He loved his children’s spouses and found great happiness in seeing his family grow and in knowing that his children were raising proud Jewish families of their own. Steve was also a fighter. Over the past decade and a half, he faced numerous health challenges with strength, determination, and quiet resolve. He adored his grandchildren, and his family believes they were a powerful reason he continued to fight for
so many years.

Steve will be missed more than words can express.

Funeral Services will be held at the Chapel at Judean Memorial Gardens, 16225 Batchellors Forest Road, Olney, MD 20832, on Wednesday, March 4th, 2026, at 1:00 pm. Please omit flowers. Contributions in his memory may be sent to the Jewish Federation of Howard County, online at jewishhowardcounty.org. The family will be in mourning immediately following the interment service at the Krantz Residence, 18611 Shadow Ridge Terrace, Olney, MD 20832.