Hubert Dean Stone

Hubert Dean Stone, age 92 of Maryville, passed away Monday, October 10, 2016 at the home of his only son, Neal. For more than of half of its existence, there was one constant human resource serving Blount County at its community newspaper: H. Dean Stone, the longtime Daily Times editor with the trademark red cap. When Stone was born — Sept. 23, 1924, to A.H. and Annie Cupp Stone at 1809 Sevierville Road, Maryville — his hometown newspaper carried the nameplate of The Maryville Times. It was a semi-weekly, published on Mondays and Thursdays, with a circulation probably around 4,500. Stone would go on to attend Everett Elementary and High School for 12 years, serving as co-sports editor of the school’s newspaper, The Blue and Gray, and was on the undefeated 1941 football squad. Upon graduating, he began attending Maryville College, but by then the nation was embroiled in World War II. Stone was in the Army Reserve, and at the end of his freshman year in college, he went on active duty. On July 4, 1944, the year The Maryville Times became The Maryville-Alcoa Daily Times, Stone found himself in combat south of Pisa, Italy. In early May 1945, Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe; on Sept. 2, 1945, Japan surrendered in a ceremonial signing aboard the USS Missouri. By then, Stone and his unit were already en route to the U.S. for leave — but Stone would not be home long. In 1946, he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism, serving as the assistant sports editor of the 13,000-circulation daily campus newspaper. Later, he would work part time for The Associated Press as campus correspondent. He spent the summers of 1947 and 1948 (his official start date as a part-timer being June 19, 1948) working at The Maryville-Alcoa Daily Times. The next year, owner Clyde Bright Emert decided to take a run at publishing a Sunday edition and chose the young college graduate to lead that effort, naming him to the full-time position of Sunday editor on Feb. 1, 1949. The Sunday product was short-lived, surviving only five months, but Emert must have been impressed: He named Stone managing editor of the daily newspaper — of course, he was also sports editor. The newsroom must have felt like home, because for more than six decades he could be found there all hours of the day — for 66 years — and crafting stories under a variety of nameplates. During that time, the newspaper was transformed from The Maryville-Alcoa Daily Times, with the marketing underline of “The Best Little Metropolitan Newspaper in the South”; The Morning Daily Times, “The Best Little Metropolitan Newspaper in the Nation, Serving Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County”; to the seven-day publication that is now The Daily Times, alternately “Your Life. Your Times.” and “Blount County’s Newspaper of Record Since 1883.” But whenever Stone spoke of the newspaper, it was simply “The Times,” through which he had seen several generations born, married, buried, and all points in between were covered on newsprint. Stone outlasted four owners and six publishers, while seeing the news move from hot type, to computer-generated type, to the internet, all the while chronicling life in Blount County — even as he was embedded within the very organizations and community he was chronicling. While metropolitan newspapers and massive chains were struggling to find their way back into reader relevancy, community journalism seemed to come natural with Stone. For him, becoming entrenched in the community that he was chronicling was just life — whether it was serving on education foundations, establishing an ongoing service project that serves the needy at Christmas, leading the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission — he was a champion of the Park — or scores of other organizations. In many of these organizations, he served as member, vice-president, president, treasurer, or board member: The National Beta Club, Maryville-Alcoa Jaycees, Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Townsend Chamber of Commerce, The Kiwanis Club of Alcoa, The Chilhowee Baptist Association, The United Way of Blount County, The American Red Cross, New Providence Masonic Lodge, The American Legion, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Maryville Utility Board, The Great Smoky Mountains Association (Last Founding Member), The Foothills Land Conservancy, The Tellico Reservoir Development Agency, The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum, The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, The Sam Houston Schoolhouse Association, The Blount County Historical Museum, The Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors Association, The Professional Photographers of America, Sigma Delta Chi (Professional Journalism Society), The Smoky Mountain Passion Play, and The Blount County Rescue Squad. Dean served on The National Parks and Conservation Association’s Southeast Regional Council and was appointed to The Great Smoky Mountains National Pak Commission for the State of Tennessee and The Historical Commission for the State of Tennessee. That could be why, as U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander once said of him, “No one tells the story of Blount County better than Dean Stone.” Dean was a member of Maryville First Baptist Church. God was first in his life. He served the Lord has a Sunday School Teacher and a deacon. His influence on many of those young men is still being felt today. Preceded in death by: Parents, Archie & Annie Stone; Wife, Agnes Shirley Stone; Sister, Margaret Hunt. Survivors include: Son & Daughter-in-law, Neal & Sandy Stone; Grandchildren, Derrick, Drew, Forrest, Skyler, Ashton, and Kieran; Sister & Brother-in-law, Barbara & Jerry Purviance. Family will receive friends from 4:00 until 7:00 PM, Thursday, October 13, 2015 at Maryville First Baptist Church. Funeral service will be at 7:00 PM with Rev. Charles Ballard and Rev. Greg Long officiating. Interment will be at 1:00 PM, Friday, October 14, 2016 at Grandview Cemetery. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremationService.com. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Hubert Dean Stone please visit our Sympathy Store.