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In the middle, Stone earned his bachelor’s in biology
from Dana and a master’s and doctorate from the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also spent nearly four decades instilling
a love of science in his students at Dana.
“I worked in Dana Hall of Science with Larrie for over
32 years prior to my retirement in 1995,” Dr. Gene
Lindblad said in his nomination of Stone for this award. “I
became aware from personal observation about his continuing
and ‘beyond
the call of duty’ concerns for and about his students — his
academic advising, mentoring and encouragement as he presented
the academic material of his field in challenging ways and
with high expectations for and of his students.”
Lindblad
also cited Stone’s tireless efforts in recruiting
students for Dana and those students’ continuing devotion
to him as testament to his impact. “The most complete
list (of references for Stone) would be a collection of those
names found on Dana Commencement programs whose major is
listed as ‘biology,’ for there are few who would
not bear testimony on the positive effects that Dr. Stone
had on their
lives and careers.”
Stone’s enthusiasm for science
spread beyond Dana, as well. After the discovery of the sunken
steamship Bertrand
at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Stone spent summers cataloguing
and examining all the food items found during the excavation.
During this work, he established a number of original protocols
for stabilizing and restoring items that had become contaminated
with bacteria and molds. He also developed procedures to
clean and stabilize some of the wines, champagnes, schnapps
and various
types of patent medicines that were also recovered from the
steamship.
“
The idea was I was going to be (at Dana) for just a few years,” Stone
told the DANA REVIEW at his retirement. He changed his mind
quickly. “I liked the people here — the faculty
and staff. Everybody was interested in students.”
Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution that currently
enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus is located
on 150 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Blair,
Neb.
Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more than 20 liberal
arts, business, education and pre-professional programs. Dana
is affiliated with the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, and its athletic teams compete in the Great
Plains Athletic Conference.
More information on Dana College can be found on its web site, www.dana.edu.
— END —
For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu |
