Lights, Camera, Action!
By: Cynthia McComber
I have several years of stories regarding Steve. The time he was creating the Clinic 2 film for our annual film festival and donned a pair of bright red stilettos for their production. (I am shaking my head…)
Steve just needed to have a creative outlet at work. We discussed the idea of creating educational videos for the Specialty Clinics. That grew into a more fantastic idea of documenting the building of Area E (the Ambulatory Building on the Main Campus of the University Hospital). I quickly learned to give him the tools and get out of his way. He had many ideas that flowed out of him, like a garden hose! He gave me a list of equipment that would be needed, which I agreed to purchase. He linked arms with his work “twin,” and away they went. Aaron Smith and Steve were frequently were seen dressed alike. I would tease them about this and ask did you two talk this morning about what you were going to wear to work?
We have a legacy of short films that speak to their work. I was able to share these productions across the organization. Steve was super proud of the work they produced. I had no idea of his fear of heights, but he wanted to share the rooftop view of the SOM with me and again sell me on a plan they had conceived to film the taking down of the vast crane used to build Area E. His humor and quick wit that he brought to the leadership team made our time together more enjoyable. He loved his Surgery Clinic team. My office was just down the back hall of Clinic 5; every morning, I would go into the clinic to fill up my drinking vessel to start the day. Steve could be found standing before his team, sharing story after story. This team huddle happened every single day. Steve's ability to share his stories was not limited to his team. I would often walk through and see him in deep conversation with the surgeons who were in the clinic that day. He had a knack for being able to BS with the best of them. As silly as Steve could be, he also was compassionate without measure. One of my fondest, dearest memories of Steve was the gift he and Aaron created via film for my sister and her family. My brother-in-law was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer and has since passed. These two beautiful humans agreed to meet with Matt and Allyson in their home and document Matt’s story on film. The compassion shown on that day still brings tears to my eyes. A reverent approach to the duty on hand and an immense amount of respect was shown to Matt and Allyson. Steve and Aaron together simply equal love.
I had an opportunity to see Deepak Chopra and the Eccles Theater. Extra tickets were available; I asked my managers if anyone wanted to attend. Steve quickly said he would take two tickets. I thought it odd that he would be into what Deepak had to teach; little did I know that Steve was over the top excited to surprise Janine with these two tickets. He knew how much she loved Chopra’s work and was pleased to give her the tickets. He was so proud of Janine and their little family. He told me about her blog, garden, and how her little business was going. I am grateful she shared him with his work family in the Medicine Surgical Specialty Clinics. We loved him. It was a pleasure having him on our team. We will never forget Steve until We Meet Again, my friend.
