DMC History Professor Dr. Bryan Stone Designated “Piper Professor”

Del Mar College

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (News Release) - 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.

The Prestigious Texas educator award marks Del Mar College’s 11th honoree since 1960 and first since 2005; newest “Piper Professor” received certificate, gold pin and $5,000 honorarium check as well as joined state and DMC lists of honorees.

Del Mar College’s Dr. Bryan Stone holds the certificate designating him a 2024 “Piper Professor” after DMC administrators presented the honor in his class, HIST 1302 U.S. History 1865 to Present, on May 1. Photo by DMC College Relations Office.

“Dr. Stone exemplifies the values of higher education to be emulated across the state, and he serves as a role model not just among his students but also his colleagues,” said Dr. Jonda Halcomb, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, who presented the Piper Professor Award today. “I can’t emphasize enough how prestigious the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation’s Piper Professor Award is as one of the highest honors in Texas that faculty can receive as recognition of their superior teaching.”

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.”

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. His 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.

Of his career with DMC and the Piper Professor Award itself, Dr. Stone said, “Del Mar College has been a marvelous place to build a teaching career, and it has been my great privilege to work alongside faculty, staff and administrators who are so skilled and dedicated and who understand the importance of what we do for our students and region. I hope the entire Del Mar College community can think of this as an award we all received.”