Former University of Wisconsin-Madison student and Daily Cardinal Editor-in-Chief Jacob “Jack” Zeldes died peacefully Sept. 18 after a long battle with health issues.
Zeldes, who was 83, graduated from the university in the 1950s and served as The Daily Cardinal Editor-in-Chief from 1950-’51, and he was “forever proud to be a Badger,” according to his obituary.
During his time working for The Daily Cardinal, Zeldes thrived on investigative reporting and published a story that questioned why the head football coach was receiving a higher salary than the highest paid professors. This article caused a stir in the community and led to numerous professional journalists labeling him as an “out-of-state troublemaker,” according to family friend Karl Meyer.
After graduating from UW-Madison, Zeldes enlisted in the U.S. Navy and proudly served aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in the Korean War, according to Meyer. After his tenure with the Navy, Zeldes enrolled in Yale Law School and went on to co-found the law firm Zeldes, Needle and Cooper in Bridgeport, Conn.
Zeldes is survived by his wife of 60 years Nancy and his three children, Stephen Zeldes and his wife Judy Roth, Amy Zeldes and her partner Michael Kesten and Kiki Zeldes and her wife Susan Galereave, according to his obituary. Additionally, he is survived by his four grandchildren Miko Zeldes-Roth, Tema Zeldes-Roth, Jesse Zeldes and Jasmine Galereave, and his sister, Joan Zeldes Bernstein, according to the obituary.
