Stanley Dick

Stanley Dick, 86, of Cambridge, MA, died unexpectedly on March 8th, 2023. Known as Uncle Stanley to so many, he leaves behind a large family who loved and respected him, starting with five nieces and nephews: Janice (Robert) Peterson of Newton, MA.; Jack (Marguerite) Fischer of Berkeley Springs, WV; Jonathan (Deborah) Fischer of Great River, NY; Eric (Miriam) Fischer of Chesapeake, VA; and Susan (David) Weis of Northfield, NJ. In addition, he is survived by 13 grand nieces and nephews, and 9 great grand nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Lillian Dick (of Brooklyn, NY), his sister and brother-in-law, Annette and Steve Fischer (of Cedarhurst, NY), and his brother and sister-in-law, Irving and Rona Dick (of Whitestone, NY).

Stanley was a remarkable man, excelling in so many aspects of his life. He graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1956, and he went on to get his PhD in Biology from Harvard University in 1960. He did two years of post-doc work in Germany and London, and he even spent one summer in Costa Rica, doing research in the field of fungal genetics.

He went on to have a long and successful career as a college professor, at both Indiana University and Fitchburg State College in MA, where for many terms, he served as the chairman of the biology department. He also spent many summers at the University of Wisconsin, collaborating with friend and colleague Thomas J. Leonard on several published research papers. Perhaps most importantly, he was a trusted advisor to graduate students - and many of these students then went on to their own distinguished careers.

Stanley was also passionate about languages. His talent in this area became obvious early on, when he came in second place in a NYC French competition, competing with thousands of other HS students. He spoke more than a half dozen languages fluently - and he also studied an impressive number of languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Norwegian, Yiddish, even Farsi and Sanskrit! Friends and family were in awe regarding his language skills. He audited many a language course at Harvard - and wherever he was, he’d have a language book with him, so that he could use any free time to study one language or another. This habit lasted for his entire life - he never lost his passion for languages!

And one can’t neglect to mention Stanley’s love of travel. For a very long time, he would spend the entire summer abroad, particularly in Europe and Scandinavian countries. He also spent a summer in Japan. Because he was so fluent in languages, and because of the way he just settled into a relaxed schedule, he really was not just a tourist, but more like a temporary citizen of that country.

Something else that defined Stanley was his love of opera and classical music. When he was quite young, he took piano lessons from his new sister-in-law, Rona Dick. He played viola in his HS orchestra, and then he went on to study the cello with a private teacher. He lent his excellent baritone voice to many a semi-pro chorus, particularly the Lexington Masterworks Chorale and Chorus Pro Musica. He deeply loved opera - and he got some amazing chances to perform in opera choruses. He liked to joke that he once sang on the same stage as Joan Sutherland!! :))) And for the last ten years or so, he attended the yearly Metropolitan Opera regional auditions in Boston’s Jordan Hall - a day he always looked forward to.

After a lifetime of travel, music and teaching, Stanley settled into a quieter routine. He loved doing the NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle, up until the day he passed away. He also had a great fondness for Turner Classic Movies. He had a freezer full of blintzes, and he was content with his calm and quiet routine.

Most of all - he loved keeping in touch with his large family, and he always appreciated any help that was given to him. He celebrated his 80th birthday in great style, at a HUGE family gathering in Great River, NY. He couldn’t get over how many of his relatives attended - but it was just a mark of how loved he was by his family. He also leaves behind two very long time friends - Stanley Krane and Phil Bibb - and they were kind enough to lend their memories to this writing.

Stanley was buried in a family plot, on March 15th, 2023, at the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, NY. He lived a good, full life, and he will be greatly missed.