Hand-cranked ice cream

How lovely that year was having cousins living on Drake in the same town. Stanley, with mashed peppermint candy and cream and milk started and we all hand cranked ice cream. Who knew such joy and pleasure could be created so simply?

Relative

Stan was so inclusive in extending his interest and caring to his extended family. I remember a time when he told me what a wonderful man my husband was, and something to the effect not to ever forget it. We’re all wonderful, and wounded; and it’s always good to be present and appreciate the people… Continue reading Relative

Truth to Power

Dr Foster persistently pointed to the intelligence and experience of front-line workers as an untapped resource in problem-solving. One of his favorite tactics involved arriving as a consultant with a Minister of Health for a country. Over tea, he would invite him to enumerate critical needs towards improving child survival. Afterward, he would then take… Continue reading Truth to Power

Inspired Internship

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,… Continue reading Inspired Internship

Just the right thing

You know those TV dramas where the protagonist always seems to find just what he needs to get out of a jam? It always seems kind of unbelievable. But a lot of my early memories of my Dad seem to be just like that. There was the time our house on Sir Francis Drake in… Continue reading Just the right thing

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Dad, of course!

It is with a very heavy heart that I share the passing of my beloved father Stanley O. Foster. In the mid-sixties, Stanley and Dotti Foster, fostered a little boy named Jose Mills into the family in Nigeria. Little did I know that offer they left that the good Lord would reunite me with my… Continue reading Dad, of course!

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Grandpa

It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my grandfather, Stanley “Grandpa Hippo” Foster, of blessed memory, who lived by all metrics a life worth living, one of honor, humor, optimism, and a steadfast sense of duty to others and to humanity. Grandpa was a celebrated epidemiologist who worked with the… Continue reading Grandpa

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Singing at the Thanksgiving Dinner Table

It was an honor to be invited for Thanksgiving Dinner years ago at the Foster home in Providence. I witnessed much love that day and the singing around the table led by Stan and Dottie was great fun. I’ll never forget it.

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