The world lost a fine young man last month. Scott Stapleton, Frank’s 25-year old son, lost his life in an accident caused by a reckless driver in Turkey on July 24th. Scott and his friend Russell Latham were on a motorcycle adventure, touring around the Black Sea at the time.
It has been a tough couple of weeks for the Stapleton family and their friends; Scott’s many, many friends; and the broad community of employees, former employees, customers and vendors who comprise what we call the MacPherson’s family. Frank, Pam (Frank’s adorable wife and Scott’s mom) and Claire (Frank’s daughter and Scott‘s younger sister) have been amazingly strong through this time of inexorable grief. Frank has impressed us yet again with his inner strength and his courage.
Quite a number of us at MacPherson’s have watched Scott and Claire grow up. These precocious kids would work at our Emeryville office during the summers, plus we’d get to spend time with them at our annual company events. What great memories we have of Scott, this dynamic kid who grew into a very accomplished young man! Scott was always so curious, and always seeking solutions to problems. And he’d keep us on our toes, too, coming out with witty one-liners when we didn’t even know he was listening to our conversations. And many in the industry have known of Scott and Claire, too. After all, it isn’t unusual for Frank to shed his “president of the company” mantle just long enough to boast about his amazing family. It’s a tragic loss.
Take comfort in this – we learned at Scott’s service that he lead an extremely good and very full life, sharing love, compassion and warmth across the country and all around the globe. He touched a lot of people who will hold him in their hearts forever. Peace be with you on your newest adventure, Scott. We’ll certainly miss you here on earth.
To read more about Scott:
The Stapleton‘s have set up a Scholarship in Scott‘s name to help underprivileged and qualified students afford the education that he received at the high school he loved so much, the College Preparatory School Donations may be made to the Scott MacPherson Stapleton Memorial Fund, c/o The College Preparatory School, 6100 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94618.