ERIKA STERN, A GIFT OF LIFE
It’s hard to write this letter to announce the death of our dear friend and colleague, Erika Stern who passed away after fighting a strong cancer the 6th of April 2007. While thinking how to write these, a strong feeling touches our souls. We are not only writing to announce her death but to express our gratitude to life for having known and love her. For sharing thoughts, emotions and feelings working together many times, we are here to recognize all the gifts she brought to our professional field and precisely to our institution: generosity, courage, passion, integrity, sense of humour, sharpness…
What does Erika represent in and for IFSI?
A question difficult to answer… it could be easy to say that Erika took a very important role as member of the Orientation Committee of IFSI, till 2005; that she brought challenge and growth to TransformaCtion Conference’s as a staff member. That she enriched ALT Conferences in her role as Associate Director with one of us, David Gutmann. That she created solid links between IFSI and Group Relations Netherlands while inviting to her staff Jean - François Millat and Christophe Verrier, who was for some years her Associate Director…
but this facts would be simple too reflect the meaning of Erika in our institutional life…
Erika accompanied us in several ways… she had an extraordinary capacity to take risk, to go out from tradition, to build bridges between persons and cultures…
We wish that what she brought will not be lost and that her example will be followed by all the ones she made grow.
Thank you Erika!
On behave of the Board and Orientation Committee of IFSI
David GUTMANN & Jacqueline TERNIER – DAVID
The Executive Vice- President & the President of IFSI