Some people may argue too few people in the world are able to touch lives. George Sleek was one of the lucky ones.

Sleek, an associate professor of physical therapy education, died April 16 at his home in Leesburg. Sleek, 48, died from a massive heart attack. His wife, Rachael, is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

"I believe we can all take comfort knowing that George died in one of his favorite places—a clearing he had created in his own backyard—in that 110 acres," said Elizabeth Rogers, associate dean of physical therapy.

Rogers said Sleek had a passion for nature, and spent many hours hunting, canoeing and hiking. Sleek was working on trails he was cutting in the woods when he died at his Caswell County property, where he had moved four years ago.

"He was in his element, in a sense," said Chaplain Richard McBride.

Sleek has been part of the Elon faculty since 1997. He began teaching anatomy just as the physical therapy education program was getting started. At the time, Sleek was finishing up work for his own physical therapy degree and commuting to Duke University with students to teach anatomy in a lab with cadavers, as McMichael Science Center had yet to be built.

"When he wasn’t teaching, he was in the hospital getting in his clinical time, weekends too, to finish his physical therapy degree," said Susan Chinworth, assistant professor of physical therapy education. "I still don’t know how he did it."

Rogers said Sleek was pivotal in establishing relationships with various organizations to obtain cadavers. He also worked to lay the foundations for the undergraduate anatomy course. Sleek was involved with the university-wide Graduate Council, the Long Range Planning Committee for the university and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Evaluation of Teaching.

Sleek is fondly remembered by his colleagues as a dedicated professor.

"George taught with the ease of a professor who knows his topic thoroughly. If you know your subject, not just in your head, but in all of your being, your teaching can take on a depth and ease few teachers experience. This knowledge then conveys itself with passion to the students," said Charity Johansson, associate professor of physical therapy education. "This is the way George taught."

McBride said Sleek emphasized the epitome of Elon’s approach—student engagement.

"He really wanted students to approach anatomy with a reverence for the human body," McBride said, "to know that it is wonderfully made."

Many remembered Sleek’s keen sense of humor and his fervor for life.

Johansson described Sleek as a generous man with an easy laugh and remarkable expertise.

"[George] supported his colleagues without being concerned about getting credit." "He had a plan for his life and was making it real. He made a point of enjoying every day," Johansson said.

"Mostly what I will remember are the last few weeks, how absolutely overjoyed he was to become a father. There is no way I can describe how he looked, what I thought when I saw him, and how he felt these last few weeks," Chinworth said. "I am sure that we would have had a great laugh looking at this big man being reduced to putty in his baby’s tiny hands."