Stephen was absolutely the smartest individual I have ever met.That's saying something when I count among my friends some of the brightest men and women ever to grace the halls of NCHS.
From childhood on he was a neighbor and a friend. His sister and mine were very close.My mom taught his mom violin when they were in NCHS together. His uncle dated one of my parents' close friends. Our birth announcements were in the same column of The Advertiser, along with Frank Basso and Liz Pollock.
He was like a "bad penny" always cropping up in my life at unexpected and often inconvenient moments. He was a good ( and very funny) correspondent, and respectful of all people, as well as his elders. His obituary on this site was accurate only to a degree. Even in death it was not possible to identify all the elements of his career, which included many years undercover in extremely dangerous places, and a few "close shaves" as he blithely called them. One such included a scar that ran along his jawline from ear to chin. When I remarked upon it he said, "That was a bad one, they had to airlft me out."
He was attatched to Army Intelligence at first, and then progressed. His proficiency for languages ( he was fluent in EIGHT!!) made him a prime candidate for a more involved Intelligence Agency which shall not be named. Lots of years in service, and a "retirement" that no longer included "field work" but had him still active in a different capacity. I had but to read the postmarks on some cards and letters to realize he was in a pretty active role even as he aged.
I was heartbroken for his wife, and young daughter, whom he named after his beloved and capable mother. I am certain he must have given cancer the best run-for-the-money that he could. He will be missed by many. I will miss the random calls "out of-the-blue", and the zany, sometimes only one-word postcards. He was one-in-a-million, and will always have a place in my heart.
Lauren Holt
Stephen was absolutely the smartest individual I have ever met.That's saying something when I count among my friends some of the brightest men and women ever to grace the halls of NCHS.
From childhood on he was a neighbor and a friend. His sister and mine were very close.My mom taught his mom violin when they were in NCHS together. His uncle dated one of my parents' close friends. Our birth announcements were in the same column of The Advertiser, along with Frank Basso and Liz Pollock.
He was like a "bad penny" always cropping up in my life at unexpected and often inconvenient moments. He was a good ( and very funny) correspondent, and respectful of all people, as well as his elders. His obituary on this site was accurate only to a degree. Even in death it was not possible to identify all the elements of his career, which included many years undercover in extremely dangerous places, and a few "close shaves" as he blithely called them. One such included a scar that ran along his jawline from ear to chin. When I remarked upon it he said, "That was a bad one, they had to airlft me out."
He was attatched to Army Intelligence at first, and then progressed. His proficiency for languages ( he was fluent in EIGHT!!) made him a prime candidate for a more involved Intelligence Agency which shall not be named. Lots of years in service, and a "retirement" that no longer included "field work" but had him still active in a different capacity. I had but to read the postmarks on some cards and letters to realize he was in a pretty active role even as he aged.
I was heartbroken for his wife, and young daughter, whom he named after his beloved and capable mother. I am certain he must have given cancer the best run-for-the-money that he could. He will be missed by many. I will miss the random calls "out of-the-blue", and the zany, sometimes only one-word postcards. He was one-in-a-million, and will always have a place in my heart.