Obituary of Alexander W. Gotta, M.D.

Dr. Alexander W. Gotta of Great Neck, age 81, passed away on October 13, 2016, at North Shore University Hospital. Dr. Gotta was born in Brooklyn, New York, to A. Walter and Helen Gotta. He attended St. John’s University and the New York University School of Medicine. He completed his anesthesiology residency at New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center, where he met his wife, Dr. Colleen Sullivan Gotta, whom he married in 1965. He served as a Captain in the United States Army Medical Corps. He was an attending anesthesiologist at New York Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the University Hospital of Brooklyn, and was Chief of Anesthesia at Long Island College Hospital and Kings County Hospital. Dr. Gotta was a prominent member of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists, and served as the organization’s President in 1996. He was also a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Historical Association, and the Anesthesia History Association. In his professional life, he published numerous articles and presentations on advances in anesthesia practice. Together, he and his wife enjoyed their love of world travel, fine dining, and the arts, especially ballet. He was also an avid student of history, a devout Catholic, and a long time parishioner at St. Aloysius Church in Great Neck, where he served as a lector for many years. Dr. Gotta is survived by his daughter Nancy Hintersteiner and her husband Jason.