Frank Stipak
August 9, 1915 - September 7, 1997
'Open your eyes and look for some man, or some work
for the sake of men, which needs a little time, a little
friendliness, a little sympathy, a little human toil. See if
there is not some place where you may invest your humanity.'
--Albert Schweitzer
Throughout his long life my father lived by
his strong social consciousness and liberal
humanistic outlook. He wrote countless letters to
the editor about public issues, founded several
local civic organizations, marched with Cesar
Chavez and the farm workers, and personally took up
many civic and social causes, such as ending racial
segregation in housing. He traveled throughout
the world, worked for the Organization of American
States and the Asian Development Bank, and was
involved in developing water resources in Latin
America, the Middle East, and Asia, including Bangladesh.
He could at a moment's notice say a few words in many
languages, a skill he used effectively to strike
up immediate friendships with people from other
cultures. He remained intensely intellectually
interested to the end of his life.
Besides this tribute to my father's outlook and
accomplishments, I would also like to share
something personal for me--how my father and I
enjoyed many experiences in the outdoors together.
When I was young he took me camping and hiking.
Together we started doing backpacking. Later I got
him involved in skiing and mountaineering. Although he
had not been especially athletic earlier in his life,
he began these new activities, and found great
pleasure in them, at an age when people more typically
give them up. I highlight this positive example he
gave us for approaching older age by listing below
his age at the time of some of these outdoor pursuits.
Outdoor Activities, Milestones:
- 1964, age 49, First backpack trip
- 1973, age 58, Cross-country skiing, first time
- 1974, age 59, Solo climb of 13,000+ foot peak
- 1977, age 62, Rappelled off technical mountain climb
(photo)
- 1983, age 68, Downhill skiing, first time
- 1988, age 73, Ten-day cross-country backpack trip
(photo)
- 1990, age 75, Over-night ski tour
(photo)
- 1992, age 77, Backpack trip over difficult climber's pass
- 1994, age 79, Skied 50,000 vertical feet in 4.5 days skiing
(photo)
- 1996, age 81, Last backpack trip
(photo)
- 1996, age 81, Cross-country skiing, last time
(photo)
- 1996, age 81, Downhill skiing, last time
(photo)
- 1997, age 82, Last camping trip
(photo)
Other photographs in outdoor settings:
See videotape of him skiing.
Hear him reminiscing about skiing experiences.
Hear him talking jocularly while cooking dinner when camping.
Hear him describing his last difficult backpack trip.
Hear him reminiscing about mountaineering experiences.
See an early photograph (about 1963) of us playing chess.
Photographs that show his sense of humor:
Hear him joking in Japanese.
Hear him telling one of his favorite jokes.
Hear him make a witty 'put down' of me.
Go to tribute to June Stipak
Return to Brian Stipak's home page
Go to College of Urban and Public Affairs, PSU