麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒鈥檚 Office of Adult Learning is dedicating its new lounge in Grace Wilkie Annex, Room 154, to Charles Joseph 鈥淛oe鈥� Stone, who at 90 was the oldest graduate to receive a degree from 麻豆传媒.

The celebration will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the Rhatigan Student Center, Room 233.

Stone was born in Frizell, Kansas, in 1913, and began attending 麻豆传媒 in 1934, where he was an English-journalism major and wrote for the student newspaper, 鈥淭he Sunflower.鈥� 麻豆传媒 is where he met his wife, Catherine, and together they raised five children.

Stone鈥檚 daughter, Marilyn, said 麻豆传媒 was always an important part of Joe鈥檚 life.

鈥淚t is where they first met and began their courtship,鈥� she said of her parents. 鈥淢y mother studied art and worked the switchboard in the bookstore. Dad, because he could drive a team of horses, was hired by the groundskeeper. He was allowed to sleep on a cot in the horse stable. The campus was brand new, and Dad planted most, if not all, of the trees on the grounds.鈥�

Stone put his college education on hold just 23 credits short of graduation when he was promoted to primary detective for the Wichita Police Department.

In addition to working for the WPD, he also served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II and later returned to writing, working as a newspaper reporter in Kansas and California, and as a freelance writer for broadcast and publication. He began writing a column for 鈥淭he Borrego Sun鈥� in 1996, which he continued until his death. His career accomplishments were recognized by The San Diego Press Club, which awarded him the Harold Keen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism.

As a writer, Stone had a love affair with typewriters, including a small Smith Corona model, which he used most of his life 鈥� and on which he authored three episodes of the television series 鈥淕unsmoke.鈥� Stone鈥檚 brother, Milburn, won an Emmy for his performance as Doc in the episode 鈥淏aker鈥檚 Dozen,鈥� which was also written by Stone.

In 2003, Wichita State gave Stone credits for his prior learning and life experience, and he returned to campus to receive his degree in journalism 鈥� graduating at age 90. His accomplishment received congratulations from the governors of Kansas and California, the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Queen of England, a Coast Guard admiral and Pope John Paul II.

The Office of Adult Learning is honored to dedicate its brand new lounge to Stone, Wichita State鈥檚 oldest adult learner and graduate, whose many and varied accomplishments serve as a shining example of lifelong learning and as an inspiration for generations of future Shockers.