After his death, newspaper columnists characterized him as "a man of principle," one who "made a substantial impact on this world, perhaps as much of an impact as could possibly be sought after outside the realms of politics, literature and art." Bob Hunter, who later became president of Greenpeace International, eulogized Stowe in his "Vancouver Sun" newspaper column: "No one could say that Irving wasted his time here. He expended himself fully. He contributed precisely as much as he could. When other men were lying back, waiting to see what nightmare would materialize next, Irving was moving like a human whirlwind toward the goal of heading the nightmare off."