12/18/2013
Dwayne David Stone, also known by his friends and
colleagues as Stoney, died at age 79 on December 18, 2013,
due to brain cancer.
He was born March 23, 1934 in
Knoxville, Iowa to Dwight H. Stone, D.O. and Hazel Gibson
Stone. After graduating from Knoxville High School in 1953,
he received a Bachelor Degree in Geology from the University of Iowa, Iowa City
and the Ph.D. in Geology at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. In 1964 he
was hired as a Geology teacher at Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio. He then rose
through the ranks to professor, and taught Geology courses (Physical Geology,
Historical Geology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Micropaleontology, Dinosaurs,
Sedimentology) for 29 years.
While in Utah in the late 1960s, he unearthed his
first dinosaur bones that have captivated generations of students and alumni. In the
early 1970s, he helped Marietta College develop the Paleontology program and
led them on expeditions where he uncovered a new species of amphibians that
was named after him, the Acheloma stonei. The Acheloma stonei, formerly known
as the Trematops stonei, was excavated from the Creston shale just south of
Marietta, on St. Rt. 7. He retired in 1993 and resided in the Devola area of
Marietta, Ohio. Following retirement, he taught on occasion, college dinosaur
courses and Institute for Learning In Retirement at Marietta courses pertaining to
Marietta geology and wild flower plants.
In 2007 he was inducted to the Marietta
College Department of Petroleum Engineering and Geology Hall of Fame, in
honor of his outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the college, its
students and alumni.
Much of his estate will be given to Marietta College to honor
the fantastically great time he had at the institution. Stoney served for eighteen
years in the Army Reserves during the Viet Nam era. With his many antique cars,
he attended several hundred antique car shows and was awarded hundreds of
trophies throughout the years.
He was preceded in death by his parents and
brother, Dwight H. Stone, Jr. M.D. He is survived by Shane Bishop, whom he
considered his son, and two cocker spaniels, Heidi IV and Heidi V, plus countless
friends.
No funeral services will be held, per Dr. Stone’s request. In lieu of flowers