Grace's 'point person' in Libby dies of cancer
Alan Stringer, one of seven executives awaiting trial in the government's conspiracy case against W.R. Grace and Co., has died of cancer at age 62.
He died Feb. 24 in Oak Harbor, Wash. Funeral services will be held there Friday.
A longtime general manager of the Grace vermiculite mine at Libby, Stringer was brought back to Libby in 1999 after news reports shed light on widespread disease and death linked to asbestos exposure that has killed more than 200 people.
He was on the firing line of controversy. Residents were angry not only at Grace for the asbestos exposure but also at government agencies that failed to properly monitor the mine.
"This was a challenge that no one wanted," his obituary stated, "but he knew he was the right man for the position."
Stringer was Grace's "point person" in Libby for several years as the company worked through cleanup and medical issues. Shortly after he began staffing an office in Libby in 1999, Stringer vowed to assist the state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with their investigation.
"We want to be here so our former employees and anyone else with a question about our operations can talk directly to us," he said in a 1999 Daily Inter Lake interview.
In 2004, Stringer continued to staff the Libby office, handling the company's medical plan for asbestos victims. At that point he said the public's response to him was "night-and-day different," and that people were grateful for the medical plan.
Stringer first came to Libby in 1981 when he took a management position at the vermiculite mine. He worked his way up to general manager by 1988 and continued in that position until 1994, handling reclamation issues after the mine closed in 1990.
In 1994, Stringer moved to California, where he continued to work for Grace as a production and safety consultant on projects in North America and South Korea.
Grace's dealings in Libby continued to shadow him until his death.
In August 2006, the government's lawsuit against Grace and seven former executives, including Stringer, was postponed for several months to allow appeals from the prosecution to work their way through the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A federal indictment unsealed in February 2005 accused Grace and its officials of conspiring to conceal the health hazards associated with exposure to asbestos dust at the company's former Libby vermiculite mine. The judge later dismissed part of the conspiracy count against Grace, ruling that the statute of limitations to allege "knowing endangerment" had expired.
Prosecutors are challenging rulings that essentially bar prosecutors from using "critical evidence," including asbestos samples and test results.
STRINGER was an active community leader during his time in Libby, serving on the St. John's Lutheran Hospital board, working on community improvement projects and taking an active role in the Libby Chamber of Commerce.
He is survived by his wife, Donna, and two daughters. Donations in his memory may be sent to Skagit Valley Hospital Cancer Care Fund, P.O. Box 1376, Mt. Vernon, WA 98273.