(Editor’s Note: Usually, Lee Ryan profiles a Highline senior with interesting tales to tell. But in a Seattle film writing class, she met a Hollywood legend, who is now a lively Seattle senior. She decided to present his story this week.)

When Stewart walked into his cousin’s house, over 50 years ago, there was a young guest who was spinning ‘round and ‘round in a swivel chair.

“I remember that I just stood there, silent for awhile, then I decided to join him. So I started spinning around in a chair, too. There we were just spinning around, not even talking to one another. All of a sudden this fellow let out a loud ‘mooooo!’ So I mooed back at him. He stopped cold and said, ‘How’d you do that?’ So, I had to explain to him why my moo sounded so much more real than his. He asked me if I knew any other animals, so I did a flock of sheep. We did all kinds of barnyard animals and then he invited me to go to a movie with him,” he said.

That movie was “East of Eden. “

You’ve just heard the true story of how Stewart Stern, Hollywood screenwriter, met James Dean, Hollywood screen legend. They were fast friends and remained so, until the day Dean died in 1955.

This was just one of the stories that Stewart shared at TheFilmSchool’s screenwriting course, where he teaches a class on…on, um…? I’m not quite sure how to title his class, because what he teaches can’t easily be titled or put into a category, for that matter.

He teaches writers how to free themselves of bottled up emotions from childhood experiences. He helps us empty our feelings onto the paper and then teaches us how to use those feelings and experiences in creating great characters and compelling stories. For some of us, it was a revolutionary exercise in making lemonade out of sour lemons.

Stewart uses the word, SPLAT! It can best be described as when you hit an emotional and creative brick wall and you just can’t go on –- you’re stuck. We all experience it, at one time or another, whether we’re writers or just plain human beings.

Stewart also talked about how transformation takes us through SPLAT. He said, “When you choose the most vile creature you can imagine, the stubborn, ugly enemy within (your invisible antagonist) going through the metamorphosis of emotionally and physically becoming the most glorious creature you can imagine (your protagonist) this forces you to go through SPLAT.”

Directly after those words, he slumped down on a wooden stool and began grunting and rooting his nose around. In a process that took about ten minutes, with jaws dropped, we watch this old gentleman transform from which was undoubtedly a pig into a majestic stallion, pawing the air and strutting around the room. It was mesmerizing. No, it was more. It was a miraculous vision that is now locked into memory, forever.

You see, although Stewart just turned 90 years old on March 22nd, he’s still as much of a free-spirited child as he was when he grew up in the shadow of his uncle, Adolph Zukor, the founder of Paramount Studios.

As a child, Stewart was lonely and many times mistreated and misunderstood. A solitary child will many times find creative ways to salve the wounds and bide the time.

During his uncle’s posh parties, he’d wander around amongst all the glittering stars of Hollywood, wondering where he fit into the scheme of it all. As he grew into the business and became a most notable screenwriter (“Rebel Without a Cause, “ “Sybil,” “The Ugly American” and many others), he also became dear friends with most of those stars.

I imagine they, too, were drawn by his pensive dark eyes –- ever searching for the truth of a person’s heart and never satisfied with anything less. With Stewart they could be themselves, they could shake off the stardust and sprinkle on the fairy dust, they could moo.

Writing still remains the all-consuming mistress that holds Stewart’s heart firmly in the palm of her hand. It’s the ever-vigilant quest to conquer SPLAT that keeps him going so strong. And although he creeps along with his cane, these days, you only need to talk of flying or make-believe and his eyes light up like a child seeing his first Christmas tree.

Recently, I was given the great honor of playing party planner for Stewart’s Birthday party. Close friends, John Jacobsen, the director of TheFilmSchool and actor Tom Skerritt, were at the helm to invite a select group of friends and students to celebrate the life of one of Seattle’s great creative treasures.

To those of us who have been blessed by knowing Stewart, we all agree that he is the consummate Peter Pan and always will be – forever in Never Neverland.