Stan Brock (philanthropist)

Early life

Stanley Edmunde Brock was born in 1936 in Preston, Lancashire, England. He has been known variously as a TV presenter, film actor, author and naturalist.

He was educated at Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset. His father, a civil servant and telephone engineer, was posted to the British Colony of Guyana.

Media career

In 1952 Stan started work as a cowboy on the Dadanawa Ranch in British Guiana, now Guyana. There his interest in wildlife developed together with an awareness of the lack of medical care available to the remote native community.

Stan went on to work as a co-host on the popular TV wildlife series Wild Kingdom and subsequently to direct the TV series Stan Brock's Expedition Danger (1966–1973).

Writings

He is the author of three books on his experiences in Guyana: Leemo, A True Story of a man's friendship with a mountain Lion (London, 1967), More about Leemo (London, 1967) and Jungle Cowboy (USA, 1969), republished in 1999 as All the Cowboys were Indians. He has written various articles for magazines, including Readers Digest and Outdoor Life.

Films

Stan has starred in two films: Escape from Angola (1976) and Galyon the Indestructible Man (1977). Both are classified as "Action Movies" and were productions of legendary Hollywood producer Ivan Tors who created and produced Flipper, Sea Hunt, Gentle Ben, Daktari, Cowboy in Africa, and more.

Philanthropy

Stan Brock is the founder of the non-profit medical care organization, Remote Area Medical. RAM operations are dependent on the work of thousands of volunteer medical professionals and the small donations of many supporters; it receives no state financial support. Up to December 2009 there have been over 400,000 patient encounters. Medical care is provided entirely free of charge to patients on a 'first come, first served' basis.

Most treatments are in the form of eye care, dental care and general medical examinations. RAM veterinary care extends to companion animals. Operations are mainly confined to Tennessee; so far the only State in the Union permitting medical professionals from other states to work on a temporary volunteer basis. However there are ongoing operations in Guyana and ad hoc responses in disaster stricken areas like Haiti (2010).

In August 2009 his charity set up a temporary medical centre in Los Angeles, offering free treatment to Americans without medical insurance.

Other Information

According to a report in The Independent (UK) he:

"...has no money, no income, and no bank account. He spends 365 days a year at the charity events, sleeping on a small rolled-up mat on the floor and living on a diet made up entirely of porridge and fresh fruit."

Stan is a Karate Black Belt holder and physical fitness expert. He is an experienced pilot skilled in dealing with difficult landing sites.

The discovery of a rare species of bat has been attributed to him, Vampyressa brocki.

In September 2010, Stan was awarded the Inamori Ethics Prize by the Inamori International Centre for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.