Tauber, Peter 1947-2004

views updated

TAUBER, Peter 1947-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born May 19, 1947, in the Bronx, NY; died March 12, 2004, in Park City, UT. Journalist and author. A freelance journalist, Tauber was best known for his 1971 book The Sunshine Soldiers. A graduate of Hobart College, where he earned a B.A. in 1968, his first reporting job was with the Geneva Times in New York. From 1968 to 1970, he was on staff at the New York Times, before setting out on his own as a freelance writer. At the same time, Tauber avoided service in Vietnam by enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1969. He remained in the reserve until 1975, drawing on his experiences at the Fort Bliss, Texas, boot camp for his first book, The Sunshine Soldiers; meanwhile, he combined journalism with a career in comedy, appearing in nightclubs and on television in the 1970s and, during the late 1970s, contributing to the popular Saturday Night Live television comedy series. In 1978, he also published the novel The Last Best Hope, which received critical praise but not to the same extent as his first book. For the remainder of his career, Tauber continued freelancing, contributing to the New York Times and other magazines and newspapers. While on a skiing vacation in Utah in 2004, he suddenly collapsed and died at the scene.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, March 20, 2004, Section 2, p. 10.

New York Times, March 19, 2004, p. C13.