Winifred Odell Stone

1935 - 2022

(News story)
By Vincent Lucarelli
Blade Staff Writer


BOWLING GREEN - Winifred Odell Stone, a noted academic who mentored students in several institutions of higher education across the country, died Oct. 27 at the Hospice Center of Wood County Hospital in Bowling Green. He was 87.

A cause of death was not disclosed by the family.

A native of Pax, W. Va., Mr. Stone spent time in the military after doing his undergraduate work at West Virginia State University.

His first post in the academic field came soon after he followed his parents back to Toledo after his military service.

"He got his master's degree at the University of Toledo," Marva, Mr. Stone's wife of over six decades, said. "While he was at the University of Toledo, he met a friend from Atlanta who was also in school, and he told him about a position that was open at Clark College in Atlanta. He applied and got the job, so we moved to Atlanta."

Two years in Atlanta were followed by several years in Florida where Mr. Stone earned his doctorate.

In 1971, Mr. Stone took a position with Bowling Green State University and he and his wife would reside in the area until the present day.

"I think his mother stressed as they were growing up that education was a primary purpose in your life," Mrs. Stone said of her husband's devotion to the field. "The opportunities presented themselves and when the opportunities were there, he took advantage."

While at Bowling Green, Mr. Stone served as professor of ethnic studies and associate dean of the Graduate College, contributing to cultural diversity requirements in undergraduates, recruitment efforts of graduate students and the Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship program over more than two decades.

Mrs. Stone described her husband's aptitude in speaking with students and mentoring them, noting that she hopes she will meet some of Mr. Stone's former students at his services.

"You do not touch people's lives unless you had some capability of communicating with them on a sincere level," she said.

In a recent social media post, Frederick D. Harper, a retired professor at Howard University, paid tribute to Mr. Stone "my longtime constant friend of more than 50 years."

They had met as doctoral students at Florida State University, Mr. Harper wrote via Facebook. "Among the first African-Americans to receive a Ph.D. from FSU and our academic program, we fought for social justice as students, and we both were the first Blacks to work as counselors (part-time) in the university counseling center while pursuing our degree," Mr. Harper recalled in the post.

After graduating a year apart, the two developed the first comprehensive theory for counseling Black Americans in 1973 called "transcendent counseling," which they later developed as a multicultural theory, Mr. Harper wrote.

"We created a new theory, because we did not perceive that white theorists addressed the needs and problems of Black people," Mr. Harper also said. "For more than 25 years, Win Stone and I presented conference papers throughout the USA and abroad, and we authored published articles and book chapters on our theory. During our careers, our main purpose was to help others."

That led to Mr. Stone receiving several grants and developing a number of programs at BGSU, Mr. Harper noted.

"In his professional capacities, he did much to help and mentor students," added Mr. Harper, a former adjunct professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins University.

"Win was simply a good human being, a good and strong Black man, and a highly successful professional," Mr. Harper wrote.

After Mr. Stone's retirement in 1996, Bowling Green State University established the Winifred O. Stone Graduate Development Fund and Winifred O. Stone Graduate Student Award in honor of his contributions to the school.

On its website, Bowling Green lists several requirements for the students hoping to receive the award, maintained at the university Development Office, which is still handed out annually.

These requirements include superior academic achievement, an extraordinary level of artistic achievement including musical creations, outstanding leadership in the academic community, exceptional writing skills determined by an essay, research paper, thesis or dissertation, and faculty commitment, determined by letters of recommendation.

Mrs. Stone said her husband was honored to have such a fund established and considers it a fitting legacy.

The award goes to students who are either from outside of the United States or are involved in the musical arts. These are subject areas that Mrs. Stone said result from her husband's involvement on several boards over the years, including those representing ProMedica and the Friends of the Library, where he was involved in supporting the arts.

"It is a nice recognition," she said, "and it is something that will go on as long as it is donated to. It is a fundraiser that continues to grow.

"He was a good man," Mrs. Stone said about the man she married in October, 1961 and brought up two children with.

She said they most enjoyed attending Bowling Green football games together and going on cruises with friends.

Mr. Stone, born July 28, 1935 to Otis and Flora Stone, is survived by his wife Marva, their daughter Maya and one grandchild.

Visitation for Mr. Stone will occur from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions, 4752 Heatherdowns Blvd. Services will follow immediately after.

The family suggests tributes to the Winifred O. Stone Graduate Student Development Fund through Bowling Green State University.