Stanley (Stan) Fraser Leaming was born in Minnedosa, Manitoba, in 1917 and moved to Brandon, Manitoba, at a young age. There, Stan attended prospecting school in 1939. At 23 he entered the RCAF, and he was discharged from Second World War duties in 1945. He received his MA in geology from University of Toronto in 1948.

Stan is a leading authority on jade. He has travelled extensively in the world to collect and study jade, first working as a field geologist for 12 years, from Labrador to the Yukon, prior to joining the Geological Survey of Canada in Vancouver in 1960. Stan remained with the GSC until 1981, when he retired to Summerland, BC. His scientific work Jade in Canada laid the groundwork for the jade industry of BC.