Remembering Professor Larry Stark

by Maggie Emblom-Callahan, Ph.D.

After 29 years of service to NOVA and its math students, Dr. Larry Stark passed away suddenly on November 22.

I have warm memories of Larry. When I saw him in the parking lot, he always had a genial “hello” for me in his melodic voice with a slight smile brightening his face.

He was an incredible faculty to thousands of students making math accessible to many who found it impossible before! He had the “Stark Way” of doing math that was a clear road map for problem solving that WORKED. Students could mimic his method and excel at math. I cannot help noting that as a man of color, he served as a particularly powerful positive model for our diverse student population!

I saw the Stark Way in action when I did his classroom observation when I was acting dean. He patiently demonstrated the “Stark Way” then gave his students the chance to practice without rushing them, calmly answering their questions. It was magical to see the look on his students’ faces as they found themselves working through statistics, trigonometry or calculus.

Many students took his class after they had had a bad math teacher experience. One student comes to mind who needed Applied Calculus for entrance into GW. He had struggled with another instructor and thought he could not do well in the class. He came to me with his dreams of being the first in his family to graduate college and his chance at attending the prestigious GW seemed to be evaporating before his eyes. He took Stark’s class and immediately took to the “Stark Way” and the rest is happy history. I cannot imagine how many students this happened to.

Larry had infinite patience and time for students. He always had a whole group of students surrounding his desk. He sometimes went without eating his dinner in order to get the students over their pre-test anxiety and to remind them that the Stark Way would work on this test, too! He often had so many students that the group would have to be sent to the conference room to accommodate so many! Sometimes, we sent the large group into a classroom! He always had time for his students.

He also always had time for his colleagues. He was never idle. I loved to come by his cubical to say hello and experience his calm and kind demeanor. A few minutes with Larry was like recharging my batteries.

While he empathized with them, he set clear expectations and taught struggling students how to set expectations for themselves that would lead to their success. He often believed in them more than they believed in themselves. This was new for so many–to have a faculty member, and in particular a MATH faculty member, who cared for their success so deeply! I had numerous students come to me after taking his statistics course to thank me for putting them in Larry’s class. Even students who struggled and were initially resistant to learning the Stark Way later came by to express their gratitude for him. Every semester!

By his sharing the his method, he helped his students rise above their math challenges and realize their dreams. Methodical, analytical, steady, calm, compassionate and demanding. That was Larry Stark to his students.

While I miss him already and cannot imagine his voice silenced, I am incredibly grateful for his compassionate influence on the lives of the thousands of students who walked into his classrooms. So many dreams realized because of his care. Our world is a better place!