Remembrances will be published here as they are submitted.
| Stephen Remembered By Sharon Franklin Although I knew Stephen eons ago when I was editor of The Computing Teacher, I really got to know him while I was Executive Director of Visions for Learning and editor of The Writing Notebook, the nonprofit's journal. I asked Stephen to be on the Board of Directors, and I mean how could he refuse such a great deal as that? The board had to be the best one ever assembled on the planet. We all truly looked forward to our times together and were DETERMINED to have fun! Stephen, in his quiet, irreverent way, could always put a creative spin on the more trying aspects of dealing with yet another nonprofit with no sustaining source of funding. I learned to expect, and really, to rely on, his phone calls. Out of the blue they would come with an idea for getting The Writing Notebook into the hands of teachers or for generating some income. Stephen was always THE most supportive person to me. Kind. Generous with his time and his ideas. I would often call him up just to chat about things&Mac247;ANYTHING. And during every conversation, if we could manage to deal with the business stuff quickly, we could get to the much more interesting topic: movies. I think Stephen saw every movie ever made. Probably twice. Besides being kind and a good listener to me in the most trying times, he was SO DARN FUNNY. Speaking of movies, Mary Cron and I will always remember the night the two of us plus Stephen and Chris Clark went to see "The Commitments" while we were at a NECC conference somewhere...maybe in Phoenix? It was a complete riot afterwards. I guess it just brought out the Irish in him??! Whatever, he just wouldn’t or couldn't stop talking like those guys in the band. Suffice to say, every time the three of us hear "fuckin' Dublin" for the rest of our lives, I'm positive we will all immediately look around, expecting Stephen to appear. I will also never forget his arriving at my house in Eugene a few years ago in a SPORT SHIRT. None of us had ever seen him in anything but a sport coat, ever. We were so amazed it was hard not to stare, but we didn't want to call undue attention to it. That was the night he played percussion in our jam session and we learned that he was once a drummer in a rock and roll band. I remember one time when Stephen sent me toys for my birthday...THE most random bunch of stuff I've ever received, and completely unexpected. Or how honored I felt when he finally gave me his HOME telephone number. I felt like I had just been let into the Federal Treasury or something. I seriously had to PLEDGE not to give it to anyone under any circumstances. He so impressed me with the grave responsibilities underlying this privilege that I don't think I ever quite got up the nerve to call him at home! Stephen was never one to share his personal life much, TO SAY THE LEAST! Mary Cron and I usually felt like we were dragging news out of him, syllable by syllable. Finally, after years of prying it felt like, we found out that "her" name was Mary! We felt like detectives who had just cracked a case. It was a big moment. After that when we would see him the next time at a conference, we could ask things like "How's Mary?"...really riveting and intimate questions like that. It was sweet whenever he spoke of her, and it was very, very clear to all of us that she was someone very special to him. I will miss Stephen very much. On one level he may have had a heart that needed fixing, but in truth there was nothing wrong with his heart. His was big and generous and full of life. I fully expect to hear from him sometime, in some way, only because I am a firm believer in that kind of thing....sort of like how I always look for UFO's when I'm driving at night in rural places.... and I figure if anyone would find some cool way to say hi to those who love and miss him, it would be Stephen. It reminds me of the movie, "Windy City." I wonder if he saw that one? At any rate, I'm sure that dying has added a slew of new creative possibilities for him...part of his great ongoing cosmic experiment. One last thing. To all of you, including Jon, Henry, Chris, Sara, and Sandy, with whom I've reconnected since his death, we have Stephen to thank. I know he would be pleased about that, and maybe now we can do better on our own. I want to commit to that. I cherish your friendship, and clearly life is short and full of surprises. Stephen taught us all that with full force. |
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Stephen Marcus
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Art by Peter Reynolds - Fablevision, Inc.