Commencement 2004

The Star-Spangled Banner Fills UMUC Commencement Singer With Powerful Sense of Mission

By Greg Rosenthal
Special to FYI Online

Daniel Stone

The song Daniel Stone performed for UMUC’s 2004 graduating class was penned by Francis Scott Key in time of war almost 200 years ago. The British had invaded Washington and torched the White House and the Capitol, then sailed a fleet of warships up the Chesapeake Bay to attack Baltimore.

Today, with American military overseas in conflict, The Star-Spangled Banner resonated profoundly for Stone, who received his MBA during the May commencement ceremonies at the Comcast Center in College Park, Maryland. The Maryville, Tennessee, resident’s patriotism drew him to Fort McHenry, Maryland, the scene of the battle that Key memorialized in verse.

“I wanted to connect with the song,” Stone said, “especially in light of the difficult circumstances the country is in. I went out to Fort McHenry, where it was written, to connect with it.”

When he faced his classmates at commencement, Stone could not help noticing the many people in uniform. “Particularly with all the military presence there, it was just a tremendous honor,” he said. “I was a little bit taken by the moment. I will never forget that.”

Stone said he feels close to the war on terror because some of his MBA colleagues left school to serve in Iraq. “One student, Michelle Schmidt, is a West Point graduate and now a major in the Army,” he said. “She felt compelled to be with her military colleagues. I dedicated the moment to that effort.”

When Stone read about the commencement vocalist opportunity in the MBA newsletter, he said, “Yeah, I’ll try that. I’ve never done anything like that.” Stone had planned to be near Adelphi, Maryland, on other business, so he intended to drop off an audition tape in person—but instead auditioned on the spot.

All four members of the vocalist selection committee listened to Stone that day. One was Pershail Young, director of administrative processes and student support in the Enrollment Management Department, who chairs the committee each year as part of her graduation duty.

“We look for a series of things when we conduct auditions,” Young said. “Their presence; their style; their voice, pitch, and tone, because they perform a capella. And [Stone] was outstanding in those areas.”

As for Stone, he never had a systematic musical education. “I just love music,” he said. “I don’t have any formal training, but I’ve had the privilege of serving as worship leader for a college-oriented church in my community.”

Outside of singing and studying, Stone, who also holds a civil engineering degree, works as a Tennessee Valley Authority business and operations manager.

“I’m a registered professional engineer, but most of the work I do is related to business,” he said, so pursuing an MBA seemed logical to him. “Now I can engage at a level I couldn’t otherwise.” He added that he hopes to consult for nonprofit organizations in the future because he found his Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home volunteer experience so inspiring.

Stone enjoys the company of his wife of 25 years, Sylvia, and his three sons, ages 14, 18, and 22. His youngest son, Philip, attends middle school, while Andrew begins studies this fall at Stone’s alma mater, the University of Tennessee, where his oldest son, Matthew, just graduated. Matthew will attend medical school at East Tennessee State University this fall.

Best of all, because of Stone’s role in commencement, Matthew got to meet commencement speaker Benjamin Carson.

“Matthew is entering medical school and admires Dr. Carson, one of the greatest surgeons in the country,” Stone said. “For him to meet Carson that day was most inspirational. I believe I was there with more of a purpose than just singing a song.”