STEPHEN KRONWITH –
MEDICAL DOCTOR AND NOVELIST
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I was born in the Bedford
Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Soon
my family moved to East Flatbush
where I continued in yeshiva through
the fourth grade. After those first four
years I was enrolled in P.S. 208 on
Avenue D and then the nearby Meyer
Levin JHS before going to Tilden HS.
After high school I went to Stony
Brook for eight years where I earned
a Ph.D. in mathematics. This led to
a position as professor at St. Johns
University where I spent four years.
I had this dream of becoming a
medical doctor and left that position
to move to Florida where I attended
the University of Miami and earned
an MD degree. I then trained as an
ophthalmologist and specialized in
pediatric ophthalmology. I enjoyed
my many years in practice in Mineola. As retirement
entered my mind I decided I had to pursue
another career. This led to my writing a crime
novel, “Lover Boy.” It got high praise from
readers and now I am into the first hundred
pages of a sequel.
DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY?
In 1980 I married Dorie; we met at a party on
Yonkers. We have two adult children, Sarah and
Rebecca. Sarah lives in New York and Rebecca
in California. Both, luckily, are still employed.
Dorie grew up in upper Manhattan and went
to the Bronx High School of Science before
attending CCNY. She earned her MD degree
from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
For 46 years she practiced pediatrics specializing
in developmental disabilities and ADHD, as
well as autism. She started at LIJ, then went into
private practice and spent the last three years
at SUNY Stony Brook. She too retired in 2020.
I’m a Mets fan, and Dorie likes the Yankees.
WHERE DID YOU LIVE BEFORE COMING TO
NST?
For 25 years we lived in nearby Lake Success.
Before that we were in Bay Terrace. We moved
here six years ago and are very happy with our
choice.
ARE YOU INVOLVED IN ANY ACTIVITIES AT
NST?
For me, the golf course was the big attraction.
I also enjoyed the gym and, when it was open,
the whirlpool. Since COVID we both have
taken to walking in the Arcade, twice a day.
For those interested, a walk from Building 1
to 3, round trip is .43 miles. We try to do 3
miles per walk.
Since we retired in the midst of COVID,
all clubs are closed so we will have to wait
and see which will be of interest. Dorie was
involved in the exercise and
Zumba classes before the
pandemic. We both hope to
join some clubs once they
resume; I will certainly join
the photography club, since
I’m an amateur photographer
and also enjoy astronomy with
lots of photos of planets and
deep space objects taken over
the years. I don’t know if there
is a computer club, but I have
a great interest there too. In
my spare time over the years,
I’ve written some apps for the
iPhone/iPad which still are on
the app store.
I’ve enjoyed taking photos
on our many trips to National
Parks and intended to visit a
few more this past summer but
because of the virus all trips
were put on hold. Our last trip
before COVID was to Iceland
where got to see the Northern
Lights.
WHAT IS YOUR NOVEL,
“LOVER BOY,” ABOUT?
“Lover Boy” is a comic
crime caper which is
described on its Amazon page
as: “A lustful physician and a
beautiful detective clash in a
comedy caper involving a billionaire’s
murder, his stunning
widow and an amorous, aging
assassin.” The action takes
place here on Long Island and in Boca Raton,
Florida, with flashbacks to Brooklyn in the
late 60s. Some of the action also occurs at a
vast apartment complex that will be somewhat
familiar to residents of North Shore Towers.
My primary goal was to write a quick to read,
breezy novel that would provide a lot of laughs
to help us through these not so funny times. It
is available on Amazon as an e-book or paperback,
and on Barnes and Noble as a paperback
(e-book coming soon). The simplest way to find
it would be to just type “Kronwith” into the
search box because there are so many objects
on Amazon that include the words Lover and
Boy. Thus typing the title becomes an exercise
in in frustration.
Anyone who buys the paperback and wants it
autographed need just email me at the address
at the very end of the book and I’ll be happy
to do so. The sequel should be out sometime
in the second half of 2021.
Stephen Kronwith is truly a
renaissance man. His first career
was as a Professor of Mathematics;
then he went on to medical school.
After a long and successful career
as an ophthalmologist, he pursued
his interest in writing a novel. His
“Lover Boy” crime caper is available
on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
The rave reviews have encouraged
him to write a sequel. He’s married
to a pediatrician, Dr. Dorie Hankin,
who recently retired as well. During
the pandemic they’ve become avid
walkers in the Arcade and you may
have seen them there.
Stephen and Dorie
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ April 2021