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Archive for the ‘In Memoriam’ Category

Stanford Athletics remembers Peter Sauer

July 11th, 2012

PETER SAUER, a co-captain and starter on the 1998 Stanford Final Four basketball team, collapsed and died Sunday night after he fell and hit his head on the concrete court during a pickup basketball game in White Plains, N.Y. He was 35.

The outgoing Sauer, who played four seasons for the Cardinal and graduated with an economics degree in 1999, was part of a five-man recruiting class that played in the NCAA Tournament four consecutive years and won the Pac-10 title in 1999.

“Everyone in the Stanford community is deeply saddened by the passing of Peter Sauer,” said JOHNNY DAWKINS, Stanford’s Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball. “Peter was a tremendous individual and a devoted husband and father. He was very passionate about Stanford and our basketball program. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Amanda, and their three children.”

Sauer was in attendance during Stanford’s NIT championship run at Madison Square Garden in March, and prior to one of the games watched practice before speaking briefly to the team. Sauer, a former Bank of America executive, led an early-morning tour of the bank’s corporate headquarters the following day.

“Meeting him for the first time, you could easily see how invested he was in this program and, really, all of Stanford athletics,” said Dawkins. “Peter truly embodied what it meant to be a Stanford student-athlete. He spoke to our guys about taking full advantage of their opportunities and how attending Stanford is a lifetime decision.”

In the video below, Sauer talked about how the NIT tournament was a good building block for the Cardinal men’s basketball program.

Read the full announcement on the Athletics website.

Statement by Stanford President John Hennessy on the legacy of Steve Jobs

October 6th, 2011

“Steve Jobs was an extraordinary man, and I am deeply saddened to learn of his death. A pioneer in the computer industry, his creativity and vision are legend. But he was also a great communicator, who was able to cultivate innovation in others. When he spoke at Stanford’s 2005 Commencement, he told our students that the key to doing great work is to love what you do. Steve Jobs loved what he did, and he inspired us all to think differently. He will be profoundly missed.”

- President John L. Hennessy, Oct. 5, 2011

Filled to the rafters

September 11th, 2011

Photo courtesy The Stanford Daily

The voices of the Peninsula choral community and a standing-room-only crowd filled Stanford Memorial Church on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. Led by Schola Cantorum, an 80-member chorus based in Mountain View, and in partnership with the university’s Office for Religious Life and Department of Music, singers and musicians from throughout the Bay Area paid tribute to those who lost their lives in and those who responded to the terrorist attacks 10 years ago. Gregory Wait, conductor and music director of Schola Cantorum and the director of vocal studies in the Stanford Department of Music, conducted the performance of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor.

Paul Costello remembers Jack LaLanne

January 25th, 2011

jumpin_jack_mainThree years ago, PAUL COSTELLO, executive director of communications and public affairs at the School of Medicine, interviewed fitness guru Jack LaLanne for a Stanford Medicine magazine issue devoted to the topic of longevity.

“I found him to be indefatigable, and I thought then perhaps he really would never die,” Costello wrote of LaLanne, who died over the weekend at age 96.

Read Costello’s full post in the School of Medicine’s Scope blog, which links to the 2008 interview.

Stanford’s connection to ‘Dancing with the Stars’

November 17th, 2010

Dancing with the Stars may not be the height of intellectual fare, but in some corners of the Stanford campus it’s must-see TV, or at least a guilty pleasure. As of last night, the finalists in the competition included Bristol Palin, daughter of former Republican veep candidate Sarah; somewhat grown-up child actor Kyle Massey; and actress JENNIFER GREY. To most of America, Grey is probably best known for her role in Dirty Dancing. Some may even know that she is the daughter of actor, singer and dancer Joel Grey. Many may not know that she is the daughter-in-law of BOB GREGG, professor emeritus of religious studies and former dean for religious life at Stanford. Jennifer is married to Gregg’s son, CLARK GREGG, an actor, director and writer who has been featured in numerous supporting roles on the big and small screen, including Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and The New Adventures of Old Christine. He also wrote the screenplays for What Lies Beneath and Chuck Palahniuk’s Choke.
“The Jennifer run on DWTS has been intriguing to watch, knowing her as we do!” Bob Gregg wrote in an email.

—Elaine Ray

Stanford salutes its veterans

November 11th, 2010
veterans_students

On Tuesday, Student veterans SEBASTAIN GOULD and GUEZ SALINAS visit Memorial Auditorium to read a Veterans Day letter from President John Hennessy and view the honor roll of engraved names of members of the Stanford community who gave their lives in war.

Tom Haynie, men’s swimming coach from 1947 to 1960, dies at 94

June 4th, 2010

haynieTOM HAYNIE, Stanford’s successful and popular swim coach throughout the 1950s, has died. He was 94 and had lived until recently in Morro Bay. He and his wife, Sherrye, were married for more than six decades.

“There have only been four [men's swim] coaches in Stanford history and he was great to me,” said Stanford’s third swim coach, JIM GAUGHRAN, who swam for Stanford in the 1950s. “He was the kind of coach who cared for his swimmers, and we all remain friends today. He was a great influence on all of us and we will miss him.”

Haynie coached 100 freestyle world record holder ROBIN MOORE and Olympians GEORGE HARRISON and PAUL HAIT during his time on the Farm, compiling a 84-9 (.903) dual record. In seven seasons Stanford finished sixth or better at the NCAA meet.

Haynie coached at Stanford from 1947 to 1960, then moved with his family to Hawaii, where he coached at the Punahou School until 1981.

“He never asked for anything for himself – no glamour, no notoriety,” said his daughter, Julie Cline-Maurer. “But he is greatly loved all over the world by those who either swam for him at Stanford or were his students and swimmers at Punahou.”

Campus remembers Phillip James Falcon; memorial service planned for Feb. 6

January 19th, 2010

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PHILLIP JAMES FALCON of Stanford, Calif., and Marion, Iowa, died of respiratory failure Jan. 4, 2010, at Stanford Hospital. He was 48 years old.
Falcon was born in Boston on July 19, 1961. After spending his early years in Lexington, Mass., he moved with his family to Stanford in 1972 and continued to live with his parents, LAURA AND WALTER FALCON, on Stanford’s campus and on their Iowa farm until his death.
Falcon’s family remembers him as someone who approached life with good cheer and a sense of adventure and who faced his medical challenges with courage. He completed the special education program in the Palo Alto school system and had a long association with HOPE Services. He traveled extensively in Asia with his parents, and he especially loved the farm in Iowa. He also was one of Stanford’s most loyal football fans.
In addition to his parents, Falcon is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Lesley and Michael Hammond, of Aurora, Neb.; and his brother, sister-in-law and their children, Andrew, Mary, Hallett and AJ Falcon, of Upland, Calif.
A memorial service is planned for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in the Bechtel Room in Encina Hall. A burial service will be held in the spring in Marion, Iowa. The Phillip Falcon Memorial Fund (c/o his parents) has been established to assist young people with special needs.

Cancer research fund established in memory of Patrick Swayze

January 11th, 2010
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Patrick Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi Photo courtesy of Lisa Niemi

While battling pancreas cancer, Patrick Swayze courageously made his disease public and spoke out in support of cancer research. In this spirit, the Stanford Cancer Center has established the Patrick Swayze Pancreas Cancer Research Fund to support research that leads to more effective treatments for pancreas cancer patients. Gifts to this fund will support studies to increase understanding of pancreas cancer and develop new therapies and technologies that can be applied to improving diagnosis, treatment and prevention. “Our goal is to apply a multidisciplinary approach to the study of pancreas cancer and the care of patients afflicted with the disease,” says GEORGE FISHER, associate professor of medicine-oncology.

- Stanford Cancer Center

1994 grad was among fallen Americans saluted by Obama

November 30th, 2009
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Michael Weston (DEA Photo)

When President Barack Obama made his overnight trip to Dover Air Force Base late last month, one of the fallen Americans to whom he offered a somber salute was 1994 Stanford graduate MICHAEL WESTON, an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who was killed along with two other colleagues in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Oct. 26. Weston attended Harvard Law School after graduating from Stanford with an AB in economics and an BS in computer science. According to a story on NPR, he joined the Marines after his first year of law school and trained during breaks. He served as a military lawyer in Iraq, and later became a DEA agent. Weston was 37 and leaves his widow, Cynthia Tidler.

President Barack Obama attends a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., Oct. 29, 2009, for the dignified transfer of 18 U.S. personnel who died in Afghanistan. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder attend a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., Oct. 29, 2009, for the dignified transfer of 18 U.S. personnel who died in Afghanistan. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)