[lit-ideas] Remembering Stephen Straker

STRAKER _ Stephen, teacher, Owen Bay Mud Flatter, dad, grandpa, exceptional 
horseshoe pitcher, brother, perpetual gum boot wearer, husband, and first 
baseman for the Owls of Minerva, died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 24, 
2004. He would have been 62 in September. Steve grew up in Yonkers New York, 
and spent his summers in Amherst Massachusetts. His dissertation on Kepler's 
optics was much quoted and praised. He was a founding member and passionate 
advocate of the Arts One program and the Science and Society Group at UBC. 
Between 1969 and 2003 he inspired generations of students at UBC through his 
courses in history and philosophy of science, many of whom remember him as the 
best teacher they ever had. Their letters ensured that he received the Killam 
Teaching Prize in 2002, an award that he greatly appreciated, while detesting 
the fuss. He challenged all of us to question what we knew and how we knew it, 
always following his own unquestionable bedrock of values. He enlivened every 
social and family gathering with his wry and intelligent wit, penetrating 
mind, and his good and thoughtful judgment. His favourite spot was sitting in 
his original Yankee Stadium seats on his front porch with Darlene and friends, 
sharing a smoke and conversation. He was happy behind the wheel of the 'shady 
boy' - his big green diesel VW van, where he drank old coffee and marked 
papers watching tugs on the Fraser. We remember him early in the morning 
sitting at the kitchen table at Owen Bay (see picture), his pants still 
sopping from a night of farting around with logs under a full moon at high 
tide to make a stiff-leg. In his last years, he remained young in spirit, 
while suffering from the effects of debilitating arthritis with good humour 
and little complaint. He is survived by his wife Darlene Marzari, his sister 
Nina Fraser, his children Justin, Francesca Marzari, Robert and Daniel, and 
his grandchildren, Kell and Garnett Straker and Frank Carmichael, for whom he 
held back the forces of darkness. Friends, colleagues and former students are 
invited to attend a memorial at the old UBC Faculty Club (now Sage Bistro) on 
Wednesday, August 11, at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations 
to the Stephen Straker Arts One Memorial Fund at UBC (Attn: Lindsay Follett, 
6253 NW Marine Dr., Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1. 604-822-4293). 


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