One of the University's most honored professors, who created a legacy through his involvement in the civil rights movement and his tenure at UNC, announced his retirement Monday.
Chuck Stone, Walter Spearman professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will complete his final semester this spring.
"I have been very gratified," he said. "What defines you is what your colleagues, friends and family think of you."
Stone's presence as a full-time professor will be missed, said Richard Cole, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
"Chuck is a paragon, and he has done a stunning job," he
said. "He has helped put us on the map."
Phil Meyer, a professor in the journalism school, said he has been a close friend of Stone's ever since they were neighbors in Washington, D.C., during the 1960s.
Meyer said that at the time, he was a journalist covering Congress, while Stone was working for Adam Clayton Powell Jr., an outspoken congressman.
"I would ask tough questions about his boss and he would just stonewall me," Meyer said. "That's how we became friends."
A close friend of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Stone also worked as a journalist during the civil rights movement.
During the 13 years he has worked at UNC, Stone has served as a role model and a legend for many students.
At 80, he is the third-oldest professor at the University and earns a base salary of $126,025 - the third-highest salary in the journalism school as of the end of October.
His course on censorship is one of the most popular on campus.
Justin Lyons, co-president of the Carolina Association of Black Journalists, said he admires Stone for all he has done to pave the way for minority journalists.
"He really opened doors in the journalism industry," he said.
"The University will definitely miss him. We just have to take what we learned from him."
Although he is retiring as a full-time professor, Stone said the move only represents a conceptual retirement.
He will keep his office in Carroll Hall for at least one year and will focus on adding works to his written repertoire.
Stone said he is working on three books - an anthology of historic sermons by black ministers and theologians, a biography of Walter Spearman and a children's book that chronicles the life of his great-grandmother, who was a slave from Haiti.
Stone has published three books about the black experience in the United States and a children's book about a friendship that transcends outward appearances.
Stone also will continue his efforts to help the University recruit black athletes.
Stone's laundry list of credentials includes serving as the first president of the National Association of Black Journalists and receiving two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize.
He also has worked as a White House correspondent, editor in chief of the Chicago Daily Defender, senior editor of the Philadelphia Daily News and a commentator on the Today Show.
"The important thing is not to lose your sense of humor and not to take yourself too seriously," he said.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
