During his 37 years as an esteemed chemistry professor at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, the late Dr. Marshall Robert “Bob” Stoner ’60 never forgot his roots as a fledgling chemistry and mathematics major at Hastings College.
A farm boy and Eagle Scout from Kenesaw, Nebraska, Stoner studied at Hastings College under chemistry professor Arnold Alberts and mathematics professor James Standley, who became his mentors and friends. He excelled in the classroom, received a teaching fellowship to the graduate program in chemistry at Iowa State University and was awarded graduate fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Texaco Corporation and Proctor and Gamble Corporation. He earned his doctorate in chemistry in 1964.
Grateful for the undergraduate experiences that launched his career and eager to leave a legacy at his alma mater, Stoner in 2015 established the Dr. M. Robert Stoner Endowed Scholarship Fund at Hastings College, which supports students majoring in chemistry, mathematics or physics.
In the estate distributed after his death in December 2024, Stoner added to the corpus of the endowed scholarship with a generous bequest. The Hastings College Foundation will preserve the gift as principal and use only a percentage of the yearly growth for scholarship aid. In this way, the funds will support students now and for future generations.
“Bob loved his time at Hastings College and wanted to ensure current students had the same kind of opportunities,” said Dr. Phil Dudley, president emeritus and gift officer with the Hastings College Foundation. “Each time I visited with him, he said how thankful he was for the Hastings College professors who mentored and prepared him for graduate school and a career in college teaching.”
Stoner also reflected on his experiences in the arts at Hastings College. An honorary member of Alpha Psi Omega national dramatics society, he headed up the lighting and sound crews for several theater productions.
“As a student concentrating on science and mathematics courses, I appreciated the opportunity to be part of the backstage crews in the college dramatic productions,” he wrote years later in an alumni class note.
Stoner was a dedicated and involved alumnus, serving as a class agent for scholarship campaigns, attending reunions and giving annually to the 1882 Fund.
To make a gift to the M. Robert Stoner Endowed Scholarship Fund, click here or call the Hastings College Foundation at 402.461.7363.
About Dr. M. Robert Stoner (source: obituary)
Stoner joined the faculty at the University of South Dakota in 1964 and served the chemistry department until his retirement in 2001. He taught organic chemistry at the undergraduate and graduate level, organic and biochemistry for non-science majors, and elective courses in polymer chemistry, chemistry in the marketplace and environmental chemistry. He had an “open door” policy, and each day could be found in his office helping and motivating students. He led a research program in organic photochemistry and worked side-by-side with his students as they developed research skills.
In addition to his teaching, Stoner was active with First United Methodist Church Vermillion where he sang and soloed for the choir and taught Sunday School classes. He enjoyed hiking, photography, stamp collecting and spending time with family in the Black Hills of South Dakota and in Washington State.
