(1919-2003)
Inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, 1992
Born in Hartford, Marcus developed his talents in baseball and basketball at the Brackett School in Hartford’s North End. His class was among the first to use the school’s new gymnasium. He was a member of a neighborhood team known as the “Aces” that played in local parks in the era before Little League.
At Weaver High School he was co-captain for both varsity football and basketball teams and played basketball and baseball as a freshman in 1933 and 1934. On the baseball team, he developed into the team’s best pitcher and a fine batter, playing alongside Ed Waltman and Bill Slitt. His skill attracted the attention of a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals; he was invited to their training camp but turned down the offer.
In basketball, he was a consistent high scorer and a strong defensive player. In 1937 his team pulled several of the greatest upsets in the history of the state championship playoffs. He received a scholarship from the University of Connecticut where he played basketball his first year.
Joining the Aetna Life & Casualty Co., he became captain of their basketball team in the Insurance League and was a perennial member of the All-Insurance League. Marcus completed with many of the great Twilight League players on several different semi-pro baseball teams as well as Aetna’s softball team.
During World War II, he served in the Army in the European theater. He returned to work at the Aeta, where he managed employee relocations. In 1948 he went back to college and earned a degree from the University of Hartford in 1952. He served as president of the Aetna Men’s Club and retired after 47 years of service to the company.