Stan was a Germanic languages professor, specializing in Gothic, at a university. He was twice divorced with two adult sons. He spent much of his down time at the local bar, Mandelbaum's. As the community had scene a recent rash of pedestrians being struck by cars and killed, Stan (who'd seen the aftermath of one such accident) often employed the bar to avoid the horrors of what was happening around him. The two continued to see each other after this.