The following eulogy was delivered at Stanley Kaplan's funeral on August 25, 2009 in New York City by Kaplan Chairman and CEO Andrew Rosen.

We come together today to mourn the loss of a great man – a husband, a father and a true pioneer in education whose defining characteristic was his genuine love of teaching.

Nothing we say today is an adequate expression of the grief and loss that is felt by everyone here.  Stanley’s passing is first a profound personal loss to his family.  To his wife Rita, his daughters, Susan and Nancy, to his grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and other loved ones, let me say that everyone at the company that bears Stanley’s name stands beside you in your time of sorrow. 

But the loss we mark today is also an enormous one in the world of education.  Stanley dedicated his life to helping others succeed.  His truest legacy is not the words we speak, but in the way he led his life – with dedication, honor and an unquenchable desire to teach.

Stanley’s story is well known: how he began tutoring as a high school student in his parents’ Brooklyn basement, how he fell in love with the SAT, how his steadfast belief in standardized tests and the capacity to coach for them created an entire industry.  We think back to the pioneers of the previous century, those who set out into the American frontier.  Like them, Stanley, as an educational pioneer, forged into unexplored territory and blazed a trail for others to follow.  As with the Western pioneers who endured hardships and challenge in staking out new territory, Stanley faced the criticism and resistance that often confronts those who are effecting great change.  The difficulties only steeled his drive and commitment to better serve his students and earn the respect of the academic community.  

But in proving that he could “teach to the test,” Stanley did something else of even greater importance.  He challenged society with the notion of meritocracy.  It was his belief that talent -- not heritage, wealth, privilege or social status -- should prevail.  His classes provided a means for students of all backgrounds to succeed.  It is telling that his first SAT student was female – back in 1946, when the number of women attending college was far outpaced by the number of men. It is also telling that of all the calls I’ve gotten over the years from Stanley since his retirement asking for special consideration for a student, none were for the child or grandchild of a wealthy friend. They were always for the child of a taxi driver, a nurse, or a recent immigrant.

Today, the test prep market has multiple players.  In fact there is an entire industry of providers of for-profit educational services, from professional training to higher education to supplemental services.  This industry, which boasts dozens of companies and is worth billions of dollars, can in fact be traced back to one man – Stanley Kaplan.

But for all Stanley’s greatness as an educator and entrepreneur, he was also an extraordinary personality.  To those who knew him, as was my privilege and honor, he was a human being of unique qualities – an incredibly sharp-witted, energetic, creative individual with considerable charisma and charm.

I first met Stanley in 1992, at a Kaplan national meeting in Dallas. I had just been hired by the other towering figure in Kaplan’s history, Jonathan Grayer, who was just beginning his transformation of Kaplan from the test prep company Stanley created to the broad educational powerhouse it was to become. When I got to the airport for my flight home from that Dallas meeting, it was a nightmare: the flight to New York was overbooked and delayed, and a hostile crowd had gathered several people deep shouting insults and threats at the quivering gate agent, who was barely visible from outside the pack. I watched over the next 10 minutes from a distance as the mob shifted from angry to accepting, and then to accommodating and even laughing. I pushed my way to the front of the pack to find out what had happened. What I found was Stanley. He had replaced the beleaguered gate agent at the podium. With a wisecrack in response to every insult even as his incredible mind resorted the seating chart by hand like an LSAT logic game, he managed to seat families together, get the bumped passengers to laugh it off, and create a festive atmosphere amidst the bedlam. Even the teary-eyed gate agent was laughing. No one knew it was THE Stanley Kaplan who was working the crowd.

That was Stanley: through charm, intellect, control and chutzpah, he could solve any problem.

Stanley’s greatest gifts were his dual passions for teaching and for helping other people.  This was a man whose first career choice was to be a physician.  A forced deviation from that path led him to discover and create an alternative way to help others.  This was someone who inspired his students through animated humor, patience and keen insight.  Someone who worked tirelessly throughout his life so that others might reap the benefits of his efforts. 

We see this not only through Kaplan Test Prep, but also through the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, which has supported dozens of worthy causes in education, health, the arts and Jewish culture.  Institutions such as the City College of New York, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center, the Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, and the Jewish Theological Seminary have all been beneficiaries of Rita and Stanley’s foundation. 

We are truly fortunate to have been able to draw upon the vision and talent of such an inspiring individual.  Stanley Kaplan knew that every student deserves an opportunity to succeed, and his programs live on to ensure this.  It is a remarkable tribute that millions of students can attribute their success to the teachings and principles that Stanley created. 

We will always remember Stanley through the millions of lives he touched and improved.  Even more so, we will continue his legacy of opportunity.  Through the business he began more than 70 years ago, and the foundations that have evolved out of his commitment to helping others succeed, we can all keep alive the entrepreneurial spirit and passion of the man we honor here today.  Stanley, we salute you.  Inspired by your example, we will work, as you did, to break through barriers and achieve ever greater goals.  In this way, we will always commemorate you and the incredible contributions you made during your life.