There are people we love, people we admire, people we respect. Chauncey is probably the smartest person I've ever known. He had such a gift of inclusion which was always exhibited when he made comments at the TGIF meetings. He could probably talk technical circles around most of the people at EPRI, but he chose to speak in relevant terms so that the nontechnical staff could be educated, a very nice courtesy and consideration! His comments at the sort of state of the company meeting at the beginning of the year about America's place, duty and responsibility in the area of climate change technology were so inspiring that I felt as if my feet did not touch the ground for at least a month! The world, the nation, the industry all owe a debt of gratitude to Chauncey for all the big things he accomplished. As an employee at EPRI, I am proud to have known Chauncey and grateful for the knowledge that the work I do at my desk every day is infused with a sense of mission - I am inspired by the mission that is EPRI!
Seeing him on campus, even without a conversation, was inspirational. What he did every day by coming to work right up to his 95th birthday is amazing. His daily drive to contribute makes my occasional ache or pain trivial. I am humbled!
No one else has his gift for causing a room to fall silent when he starts to speak. That alone shows a measure of respect that he earned and deserved. EPRI is already not the same place without his energy. It seems quieter.
I am sad, bereft, that we have lost Chauncey. How can I say goodby to the person who gave the world so much? I respected Chauncey more than any other person I've ever met, bordering on awe.
For those who knew him better, who loved him, for his family, I cannot imagine the depth of your loss. I hope you are comforted with your memories and inspirations of him.
For me, I hope I never forget that sense of euphoria and inspiration, of recharge and possibilities, that he delivered when he spoke. What a treasure!
There is a quote that I like that provides a warning...It is that we should not confuse all we can know with all there is to know. Chauncey pushed the industry to a deeper knowledge of what we can know and from there, a broader foundation for developing what there is to know. He remains a beacon of inspiration for thus of us who inspire to know as much as there is to know and to continue to build the foundation of rigorous, excellent science. Thanks Chauncey.
I worked at EPRI from 1981 to 1998. During the 17 years I was there, our world entered the "information age" -- Internet was just being introduced to the world wide community. I had the lucky job of being able to show many EPRI staff how to use this new computer technology to communicate to members, colleages and family. Thanks to Mike DeFrenza, who was my Manager for many years, managing EPRI Telecommunicaitons - for all the encouragement and support to be a part of this at EPRI and pursue my love for training and communication!
I will never forget "teaching" Dr. Starr how to send an email to his son, I think, or perhaps his grandson at Johns Hopkins University. Back in the day, email senders had to include all the "hops" in the email address to get the email to the end destination; quite complex! Dr. Starr left the address at his home address and had to phone his wife to read it to him. It must have been such a strange experience to read this "code" to your spouse and wonder what is he doing?! I never met Mrs. Starr, but remember the exchange Dr. Starr had on the phone with his wife and mused about how our world is certainly changing and how we must adapt and live life learning.
Dr. Starr contacted me from time to time for assistance sending/receiving email and I was always so motivated by this. He, being an elder statesman at EPRI and me being such a youngster, trying to help the rest of the Institute embrace the "information age" of email and voicemail. What would we do without these technologies now? I always figured, if Chauncey could do it, everyone else should be able to!
I was also very honored to be awarded a "Chauncey" shortly before leaving EPRI to join Stanford University. This beautiful crystal award for Customer Service is always proudly displayed in my office and is among my treasures.
Dr. Starr was a true innovator in his field, as well as a leader in adopting new technology to better communicate his theories and studies. He is among the few I have met, that are true inspirational leaders. It is hard to think of him in the past tense.
Catherine Knipe
catherineknipe@yahoo.com
Mountain View, California
I was very much in awe when i went to go work on Chauncey's computer for the first time knowning that it was his company that i was working for and only being here for a short time. I have worked for quite a few VIPs in my time and so didnt know what quite to expect. When I went into Chauncey's office I found a very warm and funny gentleman who was extremely patient with a wonderful sense of humor and a great laugh. I thought it was amazing that he was still working all the time and that he was able to pick up on all the new computer software and hardware so easily. I regretfully only knew Chauncey a very short time but in the short time I knew him I really learned to love and admire this remarkable man. He was a very kind and caring gentleman with a great sense of humor and a warm laugh. It was a real honor and privledge to get to know Chauncey if only for brief time. I will sincerely miss him and only wish that I could have gotten to know him better.
Some personal memories of Chauncey Starr by Robert Schainker (4/19/07):
- The many lunches I had with Chauncey (many times with Bob Entriken joining us) were a highlight of my day. His mentoring, historical insights, and wisdom was expressed with kindness and thoughtfulness.
- I and my wife Enssieh had dinners with Chauncey and his wife Doris at there home a few times. These events were highlighted by extremely intelligent and insightful conversation mixed with good humor. One evening, my wife and I took Chauncey and Doris out to dinner to a Persian restaurant. After dinner there was an attractive Persian dancer “spinning” around the room and when Chauncey pulled a $5 bill out of his pocket to offer the customary tip to a good dancer, his wife Doris gave him a stern look. Thereupon, he whispered in my ear that his wife always got jealous of him when he looked at attractive young ladies and he was wondering if I could take the $5 bill and give it to the dancer for him, which I did after getting the OK nod from my wife. I will always remember the intimate and successful relationship he had with his wife Doris, who he celebrated his 69th wedding anniversary with on March 20, 2007.
- Some key words/phrases that describe Chauncey are:
o Insightful: Chauncey was one of those rare people you meet in your life that you know will help you see through a problem in a logical and organized manner. He had an uncanny ability to be shrewd, discerning, astute, perceptive, kind and understanding, all at the same time.
o Visionary: He saw what was needed in the long term and was able to figure out the best path to make that vision happen; e.g., the formation and proper organization of EPRI in 1972 was one example of his seeing and defining a vision, and then carrying out the detailed work to make sure that vision materialized.
o Hard working: He worked much more than 40 hours a week, throughout his lifetime, even in the last weeks of his life. I would often get email from him at night and on weekends. He had me install a webcam on his home office computer so we could see each other when we talked, since he knew body language spoke more than words could convey over a telephone. Many times I would get “Skype” video phone calls at my desk at home on week ends, to discuss some ideas he had on a topic we had previously discussed or yet to discuss. His intense and smiling face would pop up on my home computer screen and we would tackle one or more issues he wanted to talk about.
o Excellent speaker: Bottom line: when he talked, you listened. Just about everyone know that that when he spoke you would do yourself a good service by listening well, since what he said was important, well thought out and insightful. It is as if people would automatically put their good ears on when he spoke. I would walk away from our lunch discussions with many fresh and new ideas on how to get a particular job done in a more effective manner.
o Active Listening and Excellent Questioner: He asked piercing and insightful questions to speakers at meetings. Often, people knew that when Chauncey asked a question, it was well thought out, identified the key issues and got to the heart of the matter at hand. He had the great ability to “see through” to the core of a problem very quickly. Some people feared his questions, but most knew his questions would be insightful and important; so much so that they had better address his concerns, so they could be truly successful on the topic discussed.
o Curious: When he met new people (e.g., at lunch) he would inevitably ask them ‘what are you doing’. When he got “high level” answers, he would always follow up with “what are you really doing… give me the details”. He was truly interested in the technological details and he usually offered good technical advice on what to do or who to call to get issues resolved.
o Inspirational: Chauncey had the ability to talk to one, or even hundreds of people in a conference meeting room, and leave the audience with awestruck awareness of what were the key thoughts, issues and ways to attack and resolve a problem. When you walked away from hearing Chauncey speak, you inevitably knew that you just heard from someone with a keen, thoughtful and intelligent mind; e.g., most people, if not all people, who attended the 95th Starr Event on April 16, walked away with some sense of inspiration from him of why EPRI was formed and what we need to do to make sure EPRI succeeds in the future.
o Leader: Chauncey was the type of person who exemplified leadership. He not only inspired people to work hard resolving energy and electric power issues, he knew how to get the right people together (in person, on the phone or via email) and orchestrate their talents via a team effort to solve problems in an organized and effective manner.
o Technologist and Engineer: He used his memory and thought processes to bridge the gap between scientific principles and practical engineering solutions. For example, his work on the SuperGrid, the Hybrid AC-DC grid, and Risk Analysis are good examples of his technical skills.
o Integrity: He was one who felt integrity was not a gray area. Something is either black or white. Either you have integrity or you don’t. Technically, he was a person who wanted to hear and understand the facts; e.g., what do we really know about climate predictions and what do we really not know. He liked to quantify uncertainties as well as quantify what we indeed knew about a topic.
o Benefactor to the advancement of science and engineering: Chauncey donated money to many causes he believed in. He set up scholarships for science and engineering students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, UCLA and Stanford. He was so dedicated to science that he instructed his family upon his death to donate his body to the Stanford Medical School for study by medical students, and he even donated his blood to the Stanford Blood Bank upon his death.
o Enjoyed poetry: I introduced him to the 13th century poet, Rumi. Three of his favorite poems were:
REMEMBERED MUSIC
'Tis said, the pipe and flute that charm our ears
Derive their melody from rolling spheres;
But Faith, o'erpassing speculation's bound,
Can see what sweetens every jangled sound.
We, who are parts of Adam, heard with him
The song of angels and of seraphim.
Our memory, though dull and sad, retains
Some echo still of those unearthly strains.
Oh, music is the meat of all who love,
Music uplifts the soul to realms above.
The ashes glow, the latent fires increase:
We listen and are fed with joy and peace.
Every Craftsman
I’ve said before that every craftsman
searches for what's not there
to practice his craft.
A builder looks for the rotten hole
where the roof caved in. A water-carrier
picks the empty pot. A carpenter
stops at the house with no door.
Workers rush toward some hint
of emptiness, which they then
start to fill. Their hope, though,
is for emptiness, so don't think
you must avoid it. It contains
what you need!
Dear soul, if you were not friends
with the vast nothing inside,
why would you always be casting your net
into it, and waiting so patiently?
This invisible ocean has given you such abundance since it
provides you sustenance and work.
FROM THE INSIDE
I have lived on the lip
of insanity
knocking on the door.
It opens.
I have been knocking from the inside.
