I first met Steve in calculus class in high school at Sir Winston Churchill; however we didn't know each other all that well until first year university when I lived one floor above him and Jeff in Leonard Hall residence. Over the next 4 years at Queen's we had many memorable times together. Some of the other memories of Steve that I have read have already highlighted a lot of his amazing qualities (exceptional dance moves, exceptional racket sport skills, exceptional intelligence and the ability to do it all without ever appearing stressed).
To me what always stood out about Steve was his ability to make conversation. I don't think I ever had an awkward silence around him. He was always interested in what other people were doing and what they thought about the world around them. He had a great sense of humour and was always fun to be around.
In addition to Steve's love of pranks and dancing (both talked about at length already), our group of friends shared a special love of making halloween costumes and generally dressing up for any occasion possible. One of Steve's great ideas was to be a band of gorilla hunters and to get Jeff Jackson to wear a gorilla suit and the rest of us would chase him around the ghetto and tackle him onto the floors of house parties, on people's front lawns and on the floor of the Queen's Pub. This gorilla suit remains in our group of 6 friend's possession and continues to make appearances at many events. Recently Steve added to our gorilla suit collection with pink gorilla suit first seen in Honduras.
Another halloween we dressed up as Orcs from Lord of the Rings. On a weekend trip to Montreal we all bought the same ugly shirt and pretended to be a boy band touring from out of town (nobody bought that one).
I was always amazed that despite Steve's demanding school schedule and extra-curricular research he always had time to have fun. I think that's what made him so well-balanced. His ability to do this is something I admired and strive to achieve in my own life. I'm so glad that we shared so many hilarious and fun times at Queen's - these are memories I will never forget, just as I will never forget Steve.
