With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of Michael C. Stanley, known affectionately as “Mike” to so many in the Outward Bound community. Mike passed away peacefully on August 1, leaving behind a legacy of service, passion, and inspiration that will forever be cherished.
Mike’s journey with Outward Bound began later in life, after spending nearly three decades in the financial world. Unsatisfied and yearning for deeper purpose, he took a life-changing leap and enrolled in an Outward Bound course. That experience awakened something profound in him. He believed he had found his true calling and applied to become an Outward Bound instructor. He was 55 years old.
“They say that instructors change – and save – lives at Outward Bound, but the life I saved was my own,” Mike said. “It’s all I ever wanted to do.”
For the next 18 years, Mike led countless students into the wilderness, helping them discover their own strength and resilience as a lead instructor. His passion extended far beyond the field; he served on the boards of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS), the Philadelphia Outward Bound School (POBS), and the national advisory board for Outward Bound USA. In 2017, he was honored with the inaugural Outward Bound USA Service Award, a testament to his lifelong dedication.
Even then, Mike’s enthusiasm for Outward Bound never waned. He was a relentless advocate for experiential education, believing deeply in its power to ignite change. “The course is the spark, what you do with it afterward is the flame,” he often said.
Mike was committed to supporting and mentoring staff across the Outward Bound network, and he was a prominent and much-appreciated champion of POBS. In 2003, he founded the New Jersey Youth Leadership Corps (NJYLC), a program that awards merit scholarships to 24 high school students each summer, giving them the opportunity to paddle the Delaware River and hike the Appalachian Trail — POBS course area that Mike himself helped to establish.
“Mike lived in New Jersey and wanted the young people of that state to have the opportunity to experience Outward Bound. Not only did he conceive and fund the program, he was lead instructor for the first one and for many years after,” said Jennifer Raymond, POBS Scholarship and Recruit Manager, who worked closely with Mike from the beginning of the program and every year since. “Even when he wasn’t able to instruct anymore he would still recruit for scholarship prospects, going school to school throughout northern New Jersey. After he could no longer do that, he still came to course start and end to greet the students and see the program in action. He stayed involved to the very end. I spoke to him over the phone at the end of this year’s course and he said what he always says: ‘woo hoo!’”.
Even as he hit his 90s, Mike’s passion and dedication never dimmed. He was the driving force behind the creation of POBS’ Alumni Task Force, which he served on until his final days. His vision was to give alumni a space to reconnect, reflect, and continue growing through the lessons of Outward Bound — lessons that had shaped his own life so profoundly.
Mike Stanley leaves behind a lasting legacy of service, mentorship, and unwavering belief in the transformative power of Outward Bound. His life is a testament to the idea that it’s never too late to discover your purpose, and to make a difference in the lives of others. He will be deeply missed, but POBS is committed to honoring Mike’s legacy through our stewardship of the NJYLC and alumni programs he championed, ensuring that his spirit inspires generations of students to come who will follow in his footsteps.