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| My Dad, Philip Lawrence Stack,
was born February 29, 1929 in Wilkes-Barre, PA to Joseph and Susan
Stack who immigrated from Slovakia. I was given my Dad's middle name
- a name I probably would not have chosen for myself but can live
with. Dad is a Clinical Psychologist and is truly a student of his
discipline as he seems to approach all of life from a psychologist's
perspective. That is, he makes a behavioral observation and then draws
a conclusion about a person's character on a single observation. He
particularly enjoys this with his grandchildren of which I have three.
This activity frequently flusters one of his 5 daughter-in-laws (of
which I have one) and puts him at the center of an unfavorable conversation.
Dad has been a major influence in my life for which I am truly thankful to God. He is very generous in a stingy sort of way. He gives but puts up a stink about it. I can see this characteristic also in my other siblings (generosity, not the stinginess). When he sees someone in need he will offer whatever he has to attempt to help out. He will give work to those in need of a job. I've seen him do this on many occasions. He offers his home to refugees who have no home, to help them get a start in a new country. Dad is also an "idea man." He has developed greeting cards, T-shirts, wall hangings, laminated placemats, "goodness buttons" prescriptions for romance, board games based on a combination of his physcho-analytical poetry and Rorschach inkblots. In spite of intense criticism from family members and in-laws, he continues to develop his product line. He refuses to use a third party to market his products. He refuses to let any criticism keep him from trying new ideas and products. I think that I am an "idea guy" like my Dad, but probably more sensitive to criticism than he is. Dad married my Mom (Fe E. Cabuso) on January 26, 1958. She is God's gift to him and provides clear evidence to the rest of the world that there is a God. It is his relationship to my mom that has the most impact in my life. One reason God created the family unit is for members learn to relate to each other as He had intended. Here, sons and daughters learn how to relate with fathers and mothers. The quality of these relationships (good or bad) is passed on the next generation and the next. The best gift Dad could pass on to me was his relationship to my mom. As easy as it is to be critical of my Dad about his unusual ideas, psycho-analytical behavioral conclusions, the size of his head (very large), his attire, and his eating habits, no one ever faults him for how he treats and cares for my mom. This relationship is a model for my own marriage, now which is in its 18th year. Thanks Dad for life, being an "idea man," siblings, and being an excellent example of a husband to mom. I love you. |