My life was blessed when I met Dr. Lucien Stark in 1972. I was visiting Peabody that summer, wandered into the Social-Religious auditorium, and began playing Weber's Perpetuum Mobile. Dr. Stark happened to walked by, heard me, and suggested that I study piano with him. Little did I know at the time how much this great man would influence my work and my life over the course of the next four years. My lessons with Dr. Stark were always informative, innovative, and exciting. I could barely wait for each new lesson! Dr. Stark always had a new concept to share at every meeting. Performing was not just a matter of pushing down the keys, but the result of intense thought and preparation. He not only demonstrated each concept, he also made sure that each student understood it and could incorporate it into his/her technique. The lessons were innovative because they were three-hour-long sessions involving three students, each playing for one hour while the other two would listen, learn, and comment. The repertoire heard and observations made were invaluable! I treasure those times. Dr. Stark was a patient, soft-spoken teacher. He was never harsh, even when a student's playing was not at its best. He always insisted upon high quality work and often asked his students "Are you really listening carefully?" I remember that Dr. Stark had great admiration for Maurice Ravel, the great French Impressionistic composer and pianist. Dr. Stark respected the music and the man; he often referred to Ravel as "elegant." Funny, but after all of these years, I feel that this adjective perfectly described Dr. Stark as well. Dr. Stark's playing was simply magnificent. His manner was calm and understated; there were never any unnecessary theatrical gestures during a performance. He had a velvety tone and could play the most difficult music with ease. I fondly remember his wonderful performances of Bach's Goldberg Variations, Prokofiev's Sonata No. 4, Mozart's Concerto in E-flat, and Brahms's Handel Variations. After my student years at Peabody, I kept in touch with Dr. Stark on a regular basis. I was amazed at how active he remained and how much travelling he did, especially to Spain. As a professor of music at Northwest Missouri State University, I was able to invite Dr. Stark to come to our campus in the late 1990's to perform, lecture, and give piano master classes. My piano students and the general public thoroughly enjoyed his visit to our campus. Dr. Stark will be sorely missed by many. He certainly will never fade from my memory. I take some small comfort in the words that he said to me at the end of each lesson: "Upward and onward!"