Arnold Stone has endured and learned life lessons
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Like his hometown, Arnold Stone has faced his share of ups and downs, endured tough times and learned hard lessons. He’s optimistic, not despairing.
Stone is making his way; that’s what matters to him. “I don’t expect anything. I know each person has to do his part,” he said.
He has a zest for gardening and is working on a greenhouse at his Northwood Avenue home. His phone rings often with calls from family and friends.
The interest in gardening was prompted by a program in an unexpected place. Stone was completing a sentence at Ohio State Penitentiary when he got involved in a program planting flats of vegetable and flower seeds for community gardeners in the Valley.
Before his release Sept. 16, 2011, Stone received a certificate recognizing 96 hours of work for Jubilee Gardens, a community project on Lafayette Street. In May, Stone attended a Jubilee luncheon at which gardeners received seeds. Gardeners also got flats of plants that OSP inmates had planted. Ironically, Stone reaped the benefit of a prison program in which he once participated.
His garden is producing cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, greens, cabbage, lettuce, and there’s some wild spinach. He sold cucumbers to Grow Youngstown Community Supported Agriculture, which provides subsidized access to locally grown foods to Valley families.
Mary Bobersky, Jubilee coordinator, said she met Stone through the OSP program. In a work release program, he helped at Jubilee. “He was a hard worker and conscientious,” she said. She saw him at market garden class offered by Youngstown Neighborhood Development Inc. “I was happy to see he was still enthusiastic about gardening.”
Children at neighboring McGuffey Centre walked over to his house for a “garden adventure.” Master gardener Samantha Turner and Stone talked about gardening, growing vegetables and the seasons.
Stone carries on a legacy of support for McGuffey Centre, where his late mother, Shirley, worked.
Jennifer Miller, center director, described him as a volunteer who does custodial work. “He’s supportive of the center,” she said, adding he also planted strawberries.
Stone attended Rayen High School. He served in the U.S. Army from 1979-84, all overseas.
Stone spent 16 years living in Europe while in the Army and as a civilian.
In the Army infantry, he was in Wiesbaden, Stuttgart and Mainz (Mentz in English). “I loved the culture and had a lot of friends there,” he said.
Stone became fluent in German. That was an asset because he had about 50 civilian jobs while in Germany.
Stone might have stayed in Europe but family brought him back to Youngstown in 1994. His parents, Amos, now 81, and Shirley, were in ill health. “That was the reason I came home,” he said.
Coming home didn’t turn out to be happy. Stone ended up in prison after taking a plea bargain in May 2004 on charges of felonious assault and arson in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
In October 2001, he had assaulted a woman; he had worked for her as a handyman and they sold scrap metal. “Friction built up between us,” he said.
It was his first offense. He spent three years in the county jail and the remainder at Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton, Ohio; Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut, Ohio; and the last 18 months at Ohio State Penitentiary.
Stone took advantage of learning opportunities in prison. “I kept busy ... really busy,” he said.
He’s proud of his achievements in Toastmasters, which promotes public speaking. He won a district first place in humorous speech while in prison. “I felt learning to communicate better would be an asset,” he said.
He earned a GED and among his certificates are a canine basic obedience instructor and American Red Cross basic first aid.
He completed a Responsibilities as a Man program.
“It’s life-changing,” he said.
In prison, he trained rescue dogs and continues to help people with their pets.
Queenie, a German shepherd and Shar-Pei mix, is his companion. Stone is trying his hand at raising chickens; but his two hens disappeared and “Tony,” a Rhode Island Red rooster, remains.
Divorced, he has two adult daughters, Semria and Shirley.
Stone is disabled; he has a chronic medical problem. “I don’t have much money, but I get by.”