The 'Grandfather of the AEAs' Passes Away

We received news that Dr. E. Robert Stephens died Feb. 9, 2017. For those not familiar with Bob Stephens, he wrote the original legislative language to create the AEAs in Iowa. He also served nationally on the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) Board. The AESA has three awards nationally that honor individuals, and one is named after Bob. He was truly a champion for education, especially for educational service agencies. He was relentless in his pursuit to serve students and staff. We’ve lost a giant in our field, and he will be missed. Bob always deflected attention and praise, and in that light, he requested that no services or memorial services be held. Dr. Stephens’ obituary is on the Lensing Funeral Home website.