By Molly Brauer

Wayne State University sociologist Steven Stack is the recipient of the American Association of Suicidologists' Louis Dublin Award. The AAS award, granted annually since 1970, recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of suicidology.

Apparently, he has spent a lifetime at it. A good friend, Ron Maris, professor emeritus, University of South Carolina, introduced Stack at the award ceremony. "When you call Steven at Wayne State his answering machine says: I am in the library doing research. After three weeks of calling back and hearing the same message, you figure this has to be a hoax...until you realize that Steven has over 200 published articles and chapters and 1, 679 citations in the social science citation index. You know, maybe Steve was in the library!" said Maris.

In addition to writing 202, refereed, journal articles and book chapters, Stack served as Secretary of AAS (1196-1998), and received several grants from the National Institute of Mental Health. Recently, he gave the plenary address to the World Health Organization's biannual conference on Injury Prevention and Control in Montreal. He's written about copycat suicide, religion and suicide, and family integration and suicide - when he's not hiking or mountain climbing.

Stack received his BA in English and Math from the University of Connecticut in 1969, as well as a M.A. in education in 1970, a MA in sociology in 1973 and his PhD in sociology in 1976. An avid climber, Stack has scaled Mount Elbert, at 14,000 feet, the tallest peak in Colorado; Humphreys Peak, the tallest mountain in Arizona at 12,000 feet; and Mt. Rainier, although threat of imminent avalanche stopped him halfway. He also canyoneers; he did the Rio Grande Canyon in New Mexico this year, and he's done extensive canyoneering at the Escalante national Monument in Utah.

Stack is the second person in the Association's history to receive both of its research awards: the Dublin, a senior level award, and the Edwin Shneidman young contributor award, which he received in 1985.

He is only the second sociologist to receive the Dublin Award in its 34-year history. Maris lauded him for, "his outstanding services/contributions to the field of suicide prevention as evidenced by leadership, devotion and creativity." Stack joins the esteemed company of Dr. Keith Hawton, University of Oxford Medical School, Dr. John Mann Columbia University Medical School and Dr. John Maltzberger, Harvard Medical School.

Stack is a tenured professor in Wayne's department of criminal justice, where he has taught since 1990. He was chair of Wayne's criminal justice department from 1994 to 2001. He held previous appointments in the sociology departments at Auburn University, Penn State University, Indiana University, and Alma College.