Stellar remembered as teacher of many lessons

Members of the University community gathered yesterday afternoon to remember Eliot Stellar, chairperson of the Medical School's anatomy department, who died in October. Stellar, who joined the University faculty in 1954, served as provost from 1972 through 1978. James Stellar said during the memorial service that his father lived his life to the fullest. "The greatest lesson my father taught was how he lived," he said. Among those who payed tribute to Stellar were Interim President Claire Fagin, Medical School Dean William Kelley, Emeritus President Martin Meyerson and former provosts Jonathan Rhoads and Vartan Gregorian. Yale University Provost Judith Rodin, who was nominated to be the University's president yesterday morning, also attended the ceremony honoring her former professor. Rodin said she greatly admired Stellar. Stellar was described by his friends and colleagues as a warm, compassionate man who had an inexhaustible love for people and enthusiasm for the University. Meyerson commented on Stellar's efforts to reach out to humanity, citing his support for imprisoned people in East Africa and intellectually isolated neuroscientists in Eastern Europe. "The term that most characterizes Eliot Stellar for me is saint," Meyerson said. "When several of us recently reviewed an incident of apparently reprehensible conduct, it was Eliot who cautioned against excessive indignation and suggested we consider a path to redemption." Meyerson and others continually reflected on Stellar's ever-friendly smile. In an interview before the service, Fagin described how Stellar encouraged her to become involved in research by applying for personal funding. "Really what he did was start me on a whole new professorial career," she said. In addition to advancing the careers of many University alumni, Stellar oversaw the creation of the School of Arts and Sciences and the University Scholars program. He is especially noted for championing the "One University concept." Stellar's paper "The Physiology of Motivation" was hailed as one of the eight most influential psychology papers in the last century, according to Kelley. He also was chairperson of the human rights department at the Academy of Arts and Sciences and president of the American Philosophical Society during his career.