The amazing Ted Stern

The sellout luncheon crowd of 400 wanted to show Theodore S. Stern how important he has been and still is to this community. They pinned on buttons with his likeness, raised glasses of ice tea in tribute and overwhelmed him with words of praise and long applause.

The recipient of the Outstanding Individual Award at the National Philanthropy Day ceremony — sharing the spotlight with the business winner, Blackbaud — responded by telling the audience, "You feel good when you do good."

Ted Stern has made his indelible mark by practicing what he preaches.

One of the guests at the Stern table told him he had attended a lecture the previous night that gave exercise and a positive attitude as two keys to a productive long life. Clearly, he said, the lecturer had Ted Stern in mind. Known for his dedication to fitness, the 95-year-old Stern had indeed performed his routine 100 sit-ups that morning.

As for a positive attitude, his exuberance has been a trademark, along with his tireless energy and the warmth of his personality.

As recounted by George Stevens, president of the Coastal Community Foundation, Ted Stern's leadership abilities were quickly spotted by the Navy. He detailed a chain of events that took him from the rank of apprentice seaman when he joined the Naval Reserves in 1940 to officer rank within a year, and eventually to a stint as a presidential adviser.

Clearly, Dr. Stevens said, there was far more to it than Ted Stern's explanation of "being in the right place at the right time."

There's no question that he was precisely the right man for the job when he became president of the College of Charleston in 1968. As Sue Sommer-Kresse, the college's senior vice president, noted, he guided the private college into the state's higher education system and has continued to lend a hand to important college projects.

He also played a critical role in bringing the Spoleto Festival USA to Charleston, serving as its first chairman and continuing in an oversight role that helped ensure its survival.

Dr. Sommer-Kresse detailed his extraordinarily long list of civic, cultural and philanthropic endeavors, describing him as having "a golden touch and a heart of gold."

He currently gives his wise counsel to a number of private foundations that dispense millions of dollars to worthy community causes. Not only has he given of himself, he has, Dr. Sommer-Kresse noted, "inspired others to give of themselves and their resources."

Indeed, in all aspects of his long life, Ted Stern has been an inspiring, positive force.