DMC History Professor Dr. Bryan Stone Designated Today as a Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation “Piper Professor”
Article by Melinda Eddleman Colleagues with the Del Mar College (DMC) Social Sciences Department and administrators filed into History Professor Dr. Bryan Stone’s classroom one by one this morning. Students in the faculty member’s class, HIST 1302 U.S. History 1865 to Present, looked a little perplexed. But, the purpose became clear when College officials presented Dr. Stone with a certificate designating him a 2024 “Piper Professor,” along with a $5,000 honorarium check and commemorative gold pin. The recognition comes from the San Antonio-based Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation with nominations for the pinnacle of Texas higher education awards submitted by invitation only. Each year, the Piper Foundation honors only 10 professors from public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities from across the state, and the honor recognizes educators’ dedication to the teaching profession and their outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievements. As a 2024 Piper Professor, Dr. Stone joins 10 other honorees named before him from Del Mar College since 1960. He’s also the first nominee since 2005 to receive the distinction. Fellow History Professor Dr. Mark Robbins, who nominated Dr. Stone for the award, noted, “Bryan is a model scholar-teacher who excels at every aspect of being a professor at a community-minded institution. He is a prolific author of three books and many articles, a supportive colleague who brings out the best in those he works with and a dedicated member of the local community who is eager to share his time and expertise beyond the College, so it’s a great honor to have Bryan as a colleague and a pleasure to see him receive this well-deserved award.” With over 27 years of teaching experience from previous teaching positions and his role at DMC, Dr. Stone joined the College’s faculty in August 2004 as an Assistant Professor and moved up the ranks to become Professor in 2015. He is the 2019 recipient of Del Mar College’s own award that recognizes exceptional teaching, the Dr. Aileen Creighton Award for Teaching Excellence, and a 2021 Teacher of the Year Award recipient for which the College’s student body selects. Dr. Stone has now added the Piper Professor Award and humbly noted, “When I received notification that I was one of only 10 recipients in the state, I was thrilled and grateful but also more than a little surprised. After a quarter of a century teaching in community college classrooms, trying to support my students and colleagues as well as I can, trying to keep up with a profession that keeps changing and always unsure if I was succeeding, it’s extremely meaningful to receive this confirmation that it’s working.” His colleague Dr. Robbins added, “Bryan imparts on his students a style of learning history that is simultaneously exciting, complex, thought-provoking and deeply relevant. Hhis students come away from his classes ready to engage pressing issues in their national and local communities and with the skill sets to not only excel in further history coursework but also to succeed outside the classroom.” In fact, outside the classroom, Dr. Stone has served on 24 College committees during his tenure, ranging from academic, peer and program reviews and hiring to institutional rebranding, strategic planning, professional development and student support, among others. He has also provided insight and expertise while serving in different roles with outside organizations such as the City of Corpus Christi Landmark Commission, Congregation Beth Israel Corpus Christi, the Austin Jewish Film Festival and Southern Jewish History (managing editor) as well as served as an expert witness regarding the history of antisemitism in Dallas as part of a death row inmate’s application for a new trial. Dr. Stone has authored three books, including The Chosen Folks, Jews on the Frontiers of Texas (University of Texas Press, 2014), Memories of Two Generations: A Jewish Life in Russia and Texas, the Memoir of Alexander Z. Gurwitz (University of Alabama Press. 2016) and Neither Fish Nor Fowl: A Jewish Family on the Rio Grande, the Memoir of Morris S. Riskind (Texas Tech University Press, forthcoming 2024/2025). Additionally, he has penned numerous articles and given presentations locally as well as during conferences across the country. The practicing historian has even been interviewed for video documentaries and by National Public Radio. Prior to joining the College’s Social Sciences Department faculty, Dr. Stone taught at The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) and Dawson Community College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English (summa cum laude) and his doctoral degree in American Studies and Civilization from UT-Austin and a master’s degree in English from the University of Virginia. FYI: Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation “Piper Professor of the Year” Awards The Texas-based Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation currently honors 10 professors from colleges and universities from across the state each academic year. The honor recognizes educators’ dedication to the teaching profession and their outstanding academic, scientific, and scholarly achievements. Each honoree receives certificates naming them a “Piper Professor,” a gold commemorative pin, and a $5,000 cash honorarium. Each year, eligibility for nominations is by invitation only from the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation with the name of only one nominee allowed from the Texas institutions asked to participate. Eleven Del Mar College faculty members have received the distinction of “Piper Professor” since 1960 with the most recent honor awarded May 1, 2024. Those honorees include: 2024 – Dr. Bryan Stone, History 2005 – Jackie Ganshow, Speech Communication 2002 – Dr. Ken Weatherbie, History 1996 _ Dr. Norman Delaney, History 1993 _ Mary Thorpe, Geology 1984 – Dr. Ronald Williams, Engineering Technology 1974 – Frances Dushek, Mathematics 1971 – Dr. Aileen Creighton, English 1966 – Dr. P.E. Smith, Chemistry 1963 – B.E. Schulze, Physics 1960 – Katherine Evans, English EDITOR'S NOTE: Click photos to enlarge, read cutlines and download high resolution JPEGs.
