Melvin Goldzband
OBITUARY
Dr. Melvin G. Goldzband, a longtime San Diego psychiatrist and supporter of the arts, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at Sharp Memorial Hospital. He was seven weeks shy of his 97th birthday.
Dr. Goldzband was born in St. Louis but spent most of his childhood in Chicago. He graduated from Hyde Park High School and the University of Illinois, completed a year in neurological research, and then graduated from the Chicago Medical School. After beginning his residency at Cook County Hospital, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, was commissioned as a Lieutenant, and shipped to San Diego in late 1958. His wife Marilyn (nee Miller) and their two sons, Dan and Larry, joined him in July 1959. Lieutenant, later Lieutenant Commander, Goldzband was put in charge of the psychiatric ward at the old U.S. Naval Hospital, and later served as Chief Medical Officer of a destroyer squadron. Simultaneously, he started a private practice in psychiatry. Their third child, Marji, was born in 1963. The renowned architect and dear family friend Homer Delawie designed their family house in the Mt. Helix area, which was built in 1964, and in which they lived until 1999.
During his career, Dr. Goldzband was elected as a Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Society and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. He was a published author in the use of psychiatric analysis to assist in child custody cases. While he generally shunned participating in criminal trials, his analysis was used by the prosecution in San Diego’s prominent “Betty Broderick” trial.
Dr. Goldzband also worked closely with both the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Opera. Dr. Goldzband always said that he had to choose between being a professional string bass player or a doctor, and that he made the correct choice. His friendships with various conductors and members of the orchestra and staff were longstanding. After retiring, Dr. Goldzband became the Orchestra’s unofficial archivist and performance history editor, and wrote a book on the history of the orchestra entitled “San Diego Symphony From Overture to Encore.”
His wife, Marilyn, predeceased him in 2015, and both were active members of Temple Beth Israel. Six grandchildren are scattered worldwide. A memorial service will be planned for early November.