Stanford E. Bazilian, 88, psychiatrist and father of the Hooters' Eric Bazilian
Wherever the Hooters performed, Dr. Bazilian was there in the front row, singing and dancing with the rest of the fans. He never tired of his son's success.
Anyone who was a Hooters fan back in the mid-1980s may remember the nascent rock group performing at 23 East Cabaret in Ardmore before a jumping, dancing, singing crowd.
One fan always in the front row was older than the rest but no less animated. He was Stanford E. Bazilian, father of Eric Bazilian, a founding member of the Hooters, and he was there to enjoy his son's success.
"He was the biggest Hooters fan ever, coming to every show, even in November after his stroke," his son said.
Dr. Bazilian, 88, of Elkins Park, a respected psychiatrist, died May 13, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital of complications from a fall.
He was in private practice from 1959 until early last September, when he suffered the stroke, his family said. During the 2000s until the time of his illness, he was affiliated with three mental-health clinics in the city: the Care Connection, the Tree of Life and the Pan American.
Earlier, he had held positions as a resident at the Norristown State Hospital, director of the psychiatric ward at Philadelphia General Hospital, a staff member at Hahnemann Hospital, and director at the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis.
"Dr. Bazilian was known for his ceaseless dedication to his work and to his thousands of patients," his family wrote in a tribute.
Born in Philadelphia to Lewis and Mildred Bazilian, he graduated in 1945 from Central High School and matriculated at his father's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in chemistry and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society. He then entered Penn Medical School, where he met his first wife, fellow student Barbara Fine. He graduated in 1953.
Dr. Bazilian joined the Army and moved with his family to Texas to become the base psychiatrist at Fort Hood. He returned to Philadelphia in 1957 and resumed practicing psychiatry in the area.
In 1977, after he and Fine divorced, he married Fiona Cole, a former nurse and native of Belfast, Ireland. They lived together in Elkins Park, along with several poodles and cats.
Dr. Bazilian was an accomplished ballroom dancer and a great lover of music; his first wife, Barbara Fine, was a concert pianist. Their son said he believed the aptitude for music was passed from one generation to the next.
Eric became a songwriter, musician and founding member of the Hooters, one of the most popular rock bands to break out of Philadelphia in the mid-1980s. Thrilled by his son's success, Dr. Bazilian followed the band and could be seen dancing in the front row at the group's live performances across the United States and in Europe. At one point, he spent a week on the band's tour bus in Germany.
"He was the undisputed number-one fan," his son said.
A passionate man who did everything with intensity, Dr. Bazilian loved to travel and collect antiques and stamps. He taught himself the latest trends in technology and nutrition and was happy to share his knowledge with others.
"He loved food, and the more exotic, the better," his family wrote.
In addition to his wife and son, Dr. Bazilian is survived by two stepdaughters, Shauna Bresland Ridd and Julie Freed, and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Maura, and a brother.
Services were May 15, in Elkins Park.