Dr. Mitchell Jomsky
Hollywood, Florida

When I was a child, Stan Lee to me, was what Hugh Hefner was to my Dad.

To me he was "The Man" and everyone wanted to be like him. Hefner "sold" the Playboy lifestyle to the men of the '60s, while Lee "huckstered" the Marvel Age of Comics to all the prepubescent males of that era. Hef had "Playboy After Dark" to help bolster sales of his magazine, Stan had the "Merry Marvel Marching Society" to help Marvel Comics fly off the racks. Sure, it would be glamorous hanging out in the Playboy Mansion with a bevy of beautiful Bunnies, but Stan lead us to believe that he had wilder times in the Marvel Bullpen, with his co-creators, comic luminaries and our artistic heroes such as Jack "The King" Kirby, "Sturdy" Steve Ditko, "Jazzy" John Romita, and "Gentleman" Gene Colan. Who could ask for more?

Although recently accused of not fairly crediting his co-creators properly, I'm sure that without Stan's help, some of these creators would be unknown faceless artists today. He made us feel that we were a part of the whole 'shebang' and we had an insider giving us the scoop with his monthly "Soapbox" column.

Looking back over the years, I realized that like the Robert Fulgham book, "Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," Stan Lee's writing taught me everything I needed to know, too. In Fulgham's essays, "Play Fair," "Don't take things that aren't yours," "Be aware of wonder," and "All things die" are concepts that we learned in Kindergarten, but are lessons learned in the Marvel Comics of Stan Lee, as well.

More impressive is that with one sentence, just a single line Lee summed up everything that neatly and succinctly shaped my moral code, "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" -- a line that most of my peers can quote verbatim, I'm sure. I can honestly say that, "Everything I've needed to know in life, I got from Stan Lee."

Before I go, one last personal thought of Stan Lee's importance. Besides being the "cool guy/huckster" and the "moral role model," Stan Lee wore a third hat ... that of a teacher.

Unknowingly, while entertaining us, Stan Lee subliminally taught vocabulary. When my mother was concerned and questioned my limited reading habits, an astute 2nd-grade teacher told her that my vocabulary was astounding. I was reading at a higher level than nearly everyone else in my class. She thankfully told my mother to encourage my reading of comics and assured her that eventually, I'd read everything.

For decades of enjoyment, and a life-long love of reading everything, I have to thank Mr. Lee. He's responsible for igniting the initial spark, but I also have to thank my mother who listened to Ms. Rodriquez and didn't extinguish the fire.