Close to twenty years ago, I saw a short film done by a public health student from his internship experience in Ethiopia. It was an unusually effective video, showing a child’s diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from pneumonia: a life caught in the act of being saved. Everyone in the room was moved.
A while later, I was chatting with Stan and I mentioned this video which had really struck me. His eyes lit up with recognition–the film was the work of one of his students, and Stan had worked with that student to develop the idea. I know this is just one of hundreds of similar moments of Stan Fosteresque inspiration, but it illustrates for me Stan’s creativity, his generosity with students, and the instinct for making things work that enabled him to save countless lives, many himself and even more by motivating other people.