Stan Smith was born September 10, 1926 in New York in Huntington, Long Island and died peacefully at his home in Tempe on June 11th, 2011. Stan died suddenly, sitting in his favorite chair, watching baseball. His cherished wife Doris and daughter Chris were by his side. The previous night they had been with friends, sharing stories and laughing so hard, tears were streaming down Stan's face. Stan's existence touched countless lives throughout the world. He was a brilliant man who lived a lifetime of vitality and exuberance, marked by kindness, humility and humor. One of the highlights of his life was when he was chosen in 2002 to work on a research team with his son Craig, a Marine Biologist, on an extended expedition in Antarctica. Stan moved to Tempe in the mid 1970's with his beloved wife of fifty years, Jackie, who died in 2002. Stan and Jackie had many wonderful adventures while raising their four children in Eastern Europe and sailing in the Adriatic Sea. Jackie home schooled their children, daughter Chris and three sons Craig, Dana and Glenn. The family traveled extensively, with dogs, a cat, and sometimes a monkey. Stan, an animal lover, rescued a cat from a pack of dogs in Turkey 20 years ago. Christened "Silk," the cat took up residence on their boat "Vingli." The cat was devoted to Stan and traveled back and forth with them from the United States to Europe for several decades. In 2003 Stan met Doris Van Ess. Stan and Doris fell in love and began their own wonderful life adventure. Stan and Doris embraced each other's families wholeheartedly. Their children and grandchildren were a tremendous joy to both of them. Stan and Doris celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary this past April. Sailing and travel were just two of many passions he and Doris shared. They both enjoyed being active in sports. Stan excelled at sports (sailing, scuba diving, soccer, tennis and basketball among other things) and was known for always having a twinkle in his eye and a gentle word. Both avid sailors, Stan and Doris spent time in Croatia and most recently chartered a barge to cruise the canals of France. Stan was an accomplished author of fiction and non-fiction. His work appeared in many magazines over the years, including The Saturday Evening Post, Nature, Arizona Highways, Parents Magazine, Argosy and Cruising World. His work often reappeared in the ASU Emeritus Journal. Stan was most recently working on a novel, one of several he had written. Stan also excelled in music. He especially loved to play violin, fiddle and mandolin. He also played harmonica and possessed an uncanny talent for whistling long, beautiful tunes. Stan, a professor Emeritus from Arizona State University, taught International Communications and Journalism for twenty-five years at Arizona State. Prior to moving to Tempe, he held a professorship at Michigan State University and was University Editor at Duke University and Director of Public Information at Colgate University. Stan was a highly respected correspondent and freelance writer in the United States and Europe, as well as being a State Department consultant in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He spent a total of 20 years living abroad. In the mid 1960's the Prime Minister of Lebanon bestowed a great honor on Stan by presenting him with the Order of the Cedars of Lebanon, a medal which was given only to Kings and Prime Ministers. Stan was honored for his dedicated work in International Communications for a seminar he ran in in Beirut, Lebanon. If Stan were to read these words, he would no doubt roll his eyes and shrug, quietly uttering an "aw shucks." Stan was proud of what he had done, but mostly he was proud of those he loved. Stan is survived by his loving wife Doris; children Chris Schaffert (wife of neurologist Dr. Allen Schaffert) of California; Craig, Marine Biologist with a PhD in Oceanography (and his wife Melissa) of Hawaii; Dana, a professor of Clinical Psychology in Hawaii; Glenn, a professor with a PhD in Computer Sciences (and his wife Mieka) of Florida; six grandchildren, three great grandchildren and numerous colleagues and beloved friends throughout the world. A private memorial was held on Tuesday June 14th. 2011

Published in The Arizona Republic on July 3, 2011