Julian Weingarten

Born on April 10, 1937, in Flushing, New York, to Leah and Emanuel (Manny) Weingarten. Tragically, Manny passed away when Julian was just five years old. Julian and his mother briefly resided with his uncle, who lived in a house on a medical campus. Every day, Julian would walk through the campus gates to catch the bus to school. The other children affectionately called him “Doc” because of his uncle’s residence; the nickname stuck with him throughout his life.

Leah eventually found a job in Washington, D.C. Doc went to Coolidge High School, excelling as an All-Met basketball player. He often joked that playing basketball in D.C. during that era meant attempting unsuccessfully to prevent Elgin Baylor from scoring 30 points per game. Despite Red Auerbach’s attempts to persuade him to join Boston College, Julian chose to stay closer to home. The University of Maryland gave him a scholarship, and he met the love of his life, Shelby Jean Davis, a fellow Terp.

The Terps had a great run while Doc played for Maryland. In 1958, they won Maryland’s first ACC championship, were ranked 6th in the country, and went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. While basketball was great, he would readily tell you that the best thing that happened at Maryland was meeting Shelby. They were married for 65 years; Shelby passed in June of 2023.

Together, they had two children: Jeff (Ginger) of Annapolis, Maryland, and the late Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Evans. They also had two granddaughters, Molly Garretto (Sean) and Rebecca McGavin (Jason), and one great-grandson, Walker Garretto.

After graduating and briefly teaching, he was accepted into Officer Candidate School with the United States Marine Corps. Doc served his country for 20 years, retiring as a highly decorated Lieutenant Colonel. During his service, he served two tours of duty in Vietnam as an artillery officer. After the war, the Marine Corps sent him to American University to earn his master’s degree in computer science, playing a crucial role in the development of the Marine Corps Data Systems Support Activity (MCCDSA) at Quantico, Virginia. This unit was instrumental in pioneering the early use of mainframes and automated computer systems to support battlefield operations. Eventually, it evolved into the Marine Tactical Data Systems, based out of Camp Pendleton. After retiring from the Corps, he joined Computer Science Corporation (CSC) and spent the next decade managing the installation and integration of large computer networks for both federal and state entities.

Being a Marine meant frequent travel, and Shelby and the children would move from base to base. They first went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for artillery school, where Jeff was born. Then onto Camp Pendleton, California, where Beth was born. Doc also served in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Quantico, Virginia, before his final posting at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, DC. The family settled in Columbia, Maryland, where they raised their children and formed lifelong friendships. What began as a carpool into DC in response to the gas crisis of the 1970s evolved into a vast network of friends spanning multiple states, residences, and filled with laughter. The Watsons and the Weingartens celebrated every New Year’s together for over 50 years. One of their cherished traditions was Doc shucking the oysters for Shelby to make Oysters Rockefeller.

Doc, a natural athlete, indulged in golf, volleyball, and softball during his time in the Corps. Golf was a shared passion with Shelby, and they continued playing until their 80s. However, his true calling was sailing. It all began at Camp Lejeune when Shelby enrolled them in a sailing class. Once they relocated to Maryland in the 1970s, their enthusiasm for sailing truly blossomed. Boats & bigger boats. They started with a Tanzer 16 and promptly upgraded to a slightly larger boat every couple of years. Their fifth and final vessel was “JUBILATION,” an Amphitrite 43 meticulously designed by Henri Wauquiez. Every weekend, they could be found cruising the Chesapeake Bay, engaging in raft ups with the Columbia Corinthians and indulging in various water-based adventures. By the late 1980s, they had transitioned to full-time cruising along the East Coast. The arrival of their two granddaughters, Molly and Rebecca, in 1991 brought immense joy into their lives. This milestone prompted them to gradually reduce their sailing activities, eventually settling in Homosassa, Florida. There, they continued to enjoy golfing, maintaining close friendships with lifelong companions, and forging new connections. They spent countless weekends with their Merrilot gang embarking on cruises to 31 countries or exploring timeshares, all while ensuring ample time for their cherished granddaughters.

Doc, was a dedicated volunteer for the Kings Bay and Sugarmill Woods Rotary & honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. In a delightful surprise to his family, Doc embarked on an acting career in community theater after Shelby’s appointment as President of Playhouse 19 in Homosassa, followed by the Art Center Theatre of Citrus County. He supported Shelby by working backstage to construct sets for the plays. Eventually, he was encouraged to audition for various roles, performing in over a dozen productions including as Chief Sitting Bull in Annie Get your Gun, Col. Kinkaid in The Oldest Living Graduate, Ed Devery in Born Yesterday, Sir Wilfred Robarts in Witness for the Prosecution, Alfred P. Doolittle and Zoltan Karpathy in My Fair Lady, Philip in Move Over Mrs. Markham, Norman in On Golden Pond, and Harry Douglas in The Sensous Senator and The Amorous Ambasador

Doc cherished his family and friends and was always eager to lend a helping hand whenever needed. He was a remarkably intelligent, humble, and fun-loving individual, and he will be deeply missed.