a moment
to acknowledge my former advisor and most deeply esteemed professor at Harvard, Professor of Psychology Philip Stone.
Tina sent me an article that informed me of his passing away last Friday, and I am in deep shock, and sadness. While I do not wish to depress everyone, I feel like I must acknowledge the role of a professor who I admired most profoundly.
I took Professor Stone's freshman seminar, and it was my first close contact with a Harvard professor. I was timid, nervous, and more than a bit intimidated by his vast knowledge, experience and intellect. Yet this sweet, unassuming professor made every effort to get to know me, to know my thoughts, to understand my background. He asked me many questions, initiated more discussions with me than I did with him. He interested himself in my family, my studies, my personal life, and my feelings. He embodied everything that I had hoped to find in a Harvard professor, and never ever displayed any of the arrogance, superiority and inaccessibility that some other professors displayed.
It was knowing him that even allowed me to consider psychology as a major, because I had had such a delightful experience being in his class...without him, I do not think I would be a psychology concentrator, at all.
I remember the time he looked at my freshman ID picture, then at me, and remarked humorously, "My goodness, that doesn't look like you at all! I wouldn't have recognized you."
I remember the time I ran into him on the street, and he gave me an enthusiastic hug and kiss on the cheek.
I remember the time I had dinner with him and his lady friend in Annenberg, an almost unreal experience--I was having dinner with a world famous professor and his lady friend!!!!!
I remember the time he took me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, ordered Tsingtao beer for himself, and, when I began having the hiccups, conspiratorially whispered, "Well, I could get fired for doing this, but do you want a sip of my beer?"
I will miss him so much...I had written him an email just 2 weeks ago telling him I was going to Paris, and he had written back, "best of luck"....
I will miss him very very much indeed......
Thank you.
Tina sent me an article that informed me of his passing away last Friday, and I am in deep shock, and sadness. While I do not wish to depress everyone, I feel like I must acknowledge the role of a professor who I admired most profoundly.
I took Professor Stone's freshman seminar, and it was my first close contact with a Harvard professor. I was timid, nervous, and more than a bit intimidated by his vast knowledge, experience and intellect. Yet this sweet, unassuming professor made every effort to get to know me, to know my thoughts, to understand my background. He asked me many questions, initiated more discussions with me than I did with him. He interested himself in my family, my studies, my personal life, and my feelings. He embodied everything that I had hoped to find in a Harvard professor, and never ever displayed any of the arrogance, superiority and inaccessibility that some other professors displayed.
It was knowing him that even allowed me to consider psychology as a major, because I had had such a delightful experience being in his class...without him, I do not think I would be a psychology concentrator, at all.
I remember the time he looked at my freshman ID picture, then at me, and remarked humorously, "My goodness, that doesn't look like you at all! I wouldn't have recognized you."
I remember the time I ran into him on the street, and he gave me an enthusiastic hug and kiss on the cheek.
I remember the time I had dinner with him and his lady friend in Annenberg, an almost unreal experience--I was having dinner with a world famous professor and his lady friend!!!!!
I remember the time he took me to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, ordered Tsingtao beer for himself, and, when I began having the hiccups, conspiratorially whispered, "Well, I could get fired for doing this, but do you want a sip of my beer?"
I will miss him so much...I had written him an email just 2 weeks ago telling him I was going to Paris, and he had written back, "best of luck"....
I will miss him very very much indeed......
Thank you.
posted by Kate | 11:15 AM
1 Comments:
awww
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