Stan was actually a mentor to me early on, when I first joined the EIS in 1981 at the end of my pediatric residency… although I was focused on international work and spoke with him about joining the International Health Program Office’s programs, he wisely advised me to first take a different position to learn “real epidemiology,” before getting into the programmatic work that IHPO did.
I did ultimately go into international health, though not at IHPO and not based in Atlanta. So we had only intermittent contact over the years; but he gave me other wise advice – especially, “If you’re going to work internationally, it’s important to have a home somewhere – you need a place to come back to.”
Stan had a joyful sense of mission, which he imparted to everyone who worked
with him and for him. He loved the people on whose behalf he worked so hard and effectively. He certainly loved Africa, as his Nigerian outfits attested, and many of his colleagues there were also his friends.
Stan was one of those giants on whose shoulders we all stand. It’s hard to think he’s gone, but his presence and the work he did and taught are still with us in the world… and – as I hope his family knows and experiences in their hearts – so are so many of the people, and especially children, whose lives his service helped save.