From October 1971 Stanko and I had adjacent desks at FF (Oddelek za germanistiko) as if to symbolize our close co-operation in the academic and mountaineering spheres for over 40 years.
Stanko as co-author:
our first joint venture was translating Zakladi Slovenije – out of the plethora of variants he wrote out to convey the richness of Kmecl’s juicy style, I forged an English-sounding version; it was a colossal learning curve for my Slovene. Highly enjoyable and rewarding was our work on the textbooks English Word-Formation and English Derivation (1st edition 1974?, latest edition ….?), where Stanko polished the text of his lectures and I concocted language exercises, also greatly shaped by his input. Geographical Names in English Texts was another seam in the mine of co-operation; as always, the rockbed was Stanko’s knowledge, enthusiasm and thoroughness. Translations into either language, i.e. either mine or his (short stories, calendar texts, etc. etc.), regularly passed between us for correcting and polishing. Our latest joint production (nearing completion) is a translation-cum-adaptation of Slovenske stene for foreign alpinists – demanding yet satisfying work as so often before, and a tribute to the late Tine Mihelič.
Stanko as co-mountaineer:
Tine Mihelič was connected with my 3rd ascent of Triglav North Face (TNF): Stanko led his son Tomaž, late friend Jože Bizjak and me up the lower part of Nemška smer – by the visitors’ book we met T. M. with his daughter Tina and together we completed the Zimmer-Jahn izstop – unforgettable! On my first ascent of TNF (Slovenska smer) with Stanko and his wife Majda, he saved me on the rope as I slipped making practically the final move across a vertical snow slope. One week earlier, also with Majda, he had given me my first rock-climbing experience – a wonderful ascent of Kukova špica. And some years earlier (1974?) my first experience of a zavarovana pot was with Stanko and his daughter Maja, going from Erjavčeva koča via Prednje okno to Prisank. And still earlier (June 1972) my first mountain trip to Golica, as the highest narcissi were blooming, was made together with his daughters Maja and Monika. From the very beginning he had enthused me with his impressive knowledge, experience, sound judgment (recommending what routes I could/couldn’t safely do on my own), and sheer love of the mountains – we both looked on the natural world as God’s creation, adding a profound dimension to appreciation. “Deo gratias”, he would say, on completing some memorable ascent. Love of language and of mountains blended in one of the earliest descriptions he gave me: “Jalovec is a noble obelisk”.
How to sum up the qualities of such a multi-dimensional friend and colleague? Utter reliability, faithfulness, thoroughness, versatility, humour and wit, a family man through and through, sensitivity and understanding, compassion, feeling for language and its beauty, skill in word-play, and still more.