Monday, June 15, 2026, was a historic day on the campus of 91影视 as former presidents Dr. Raymond Stone (President, 1963鈥�1989) and Dr. John Dempsey (President, 1989鈥�2022) met with current president Dr. Alexander "Sandy" Stewart, who has served in the position for the past three years.
At 99 years old, Dr. Stone was visiting campus with his daughter for what he described as a final tour and to be recognized for his philanthropy at the college. In 2015, Dr. Stone made a gift of $500,000 to establish and endow The Raymond & Rachel Stone Excellence Awards, which recognize outstanding faculty and staff. This fund additionally supports The Raymond & Rachel Stone Excellence Grants, awarded annually to faculty and staff for proposals that support student success and innovation in the classroom. This visit also marked Dr. Stone making an additional gift of $200,000 to further strengthen the endowed fund.
In addition to touring campus, the three SCC presidents discussed the decades of success and growth at SCC, as well as future initiatives, including Moore Innovative High School and a new skilled trades building planned for development in 2027.
They were also joined by Jim Halstead, former Dean of Students and Senior Vice President, whose career overlapped with both the Stone and Dempsey administrations, although the majority of his service took place during Dr. Stone鈥檚 presidency. Halstead received an honorary doctorate from SCC in 1998 and delivered the college鈥檚 commencement address that same year. The Jim Halstead Encouragement Award was also established in 1998 to honor a non-teaching staff member who encourages others.
Current members of the Senior Leadership Team and the Foundation team were also on hand to greet the presidents and share memories.