Before
AfterSteve
Here are “Before” and “After” pictures; the latter was taken a dozen or so years after the yearbook photo. In the interim, he not only grew hair; he also started boxing and lifting weights. Really.
He had intended to teach Latin, but that idea was abandoned (i.e., once the Roman Catholic church stopped saying Mass in Latin, the global number of Latin students dwindled to practically zero). Armed with a degree in Latin and Classical Greek, he instead embarked on a career of New York City administrative jobs.
Steve focused more on things that did not relate to his employment. He spent evenings and weekends improving his French, learning Russian and Spanish, and studying the literatures of those languages. He eventually earned a Masters, and then a Doctorate, in Comparative Literature. En route, Steve took many leaves-of-absence from his job, traveling to Paris or Moscow to study. He completed a Translator Program at the UN. To broaden his grasp of the languages he’d learned, he worked on contract at the Manhattan offices of an international bank. After retiring from NYC, he became a civilian instructor for college-level literature courses on U.S. Navy warships. Once his background became known to those onboard, Steve repeatedly was called upon to translate into Latin phrases that Naval personnel wanted to add to their tattoos!
Late in 2013, he was diagnosed with cancer, and began a regimen of chemotherapy, which seemed to progress well. Before it was completed, however, he suffered a fatal stroke, unrelated to his cancer. Thanks to his family, I had the honor of eulogizing my long-time friend at his Funeral Mass.
