Leo Stalnaker Jr.

STALNAKER, Leo, Jr., died in Tampa on April 30, 2003, after a battle with cancer. He was 79. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, June E. Stalnaker; his two sons, Jeffrey C. Stalnaker, M.D., and Lan ce K. Stalnaker, Attorney at Law; his daughter-in-law, Gail Stalnaker; his two grandchildren, Erin N. Stalnaker and Nicholas C. Stalnaker; his sister and brother-in-law, Belle Russo and Joseph Russo; and his brother and sister-in-law, Zeno Stalnaker and Doris Stalnaker. Born in Hillsborough County on October 18, 1923, Leo attended local public schools and graduated in 1941 from Hillsborough High School as valed ictorian. In 1963, he graduated with honors in the charter class of the University of South Florida, earning a B.A. in history. In 1973, he received his M.A. in adult education from that same institution. Du ring World War II, Leo served in Europe as an Army combat medical corpsman. He was awarded the Purple Heart. Leo was employed by The Tampa Times as a Staff Writer from 1946-1950. He was City Editor of that same newspaper from 1950-1955. The Tampa Tribune employed Leo as Associate State Editor from 1955-1957, as City Editor from 1957-1968 and as Assistant Managing Editor from 1968-19 70. While still employed by the Tribune, Leo was appointed as an Adjunct Instructor in the Journalism Program of USF. In 1970, he joined the faculty full time as an Assistant Professor. He was granted tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1977. In addition to teaching courses in journalism at USF, Leo at various times was appointed by the university as General Manager of the Oracle student newspaper , coordinator of the Journalism Sequence in the Department of Mass Communications, Director of Student Publications, adviser of the Oracle, adviser of Omnibus, the university's literary magazine, and adviser of the senior yearbook. While Leo was adviser of the Oracle, the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi, three times designated the Oracle as Best All-Round Studen t Newspaper in the Southeast U.S. The Florida Press Association also chose Leo to serve as a visiting lecturer in the College of Mass Communications at the university of Florida. Leo was a member of several organizations including Omicron Delta Kappa, which is a national honorary leadership society, Kappa Tau Alpha, which is a national honorary journalism society, and the Society of Professional Journalists, Si gma Delta Chi. Leo was a former President of the Florida West Coast Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi. He also was a former President of the Pebble Creek Homeowners Association in Hillsborough County. Professing Je sus Christ as his Lord and Savior, Leo was a member of and former President of St. John's Lutheran Church in Tampa. Visitation will be Monday, May 5, from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church, Tampa, with the funeral service to occur from 11 a.m. until noon. Interment will be at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. In lieu of flowers, Leo's family requests that donations in his name be given to the Trust Fund of St. John's Lutheran Church, Tampa, or to the American Cancer Society. Arrangements through Swilley's Funeral Home, Tampa