Donna J. Stone

Donna J. Stone (February 23, 1933 – December 12, 1994) was an American poet and philanthropist. Several of her poems were published individually, both before and after her death, as well as a book of poetry entitled Wielder of Words: A Collection of Poems.Wielder of Words, edited by Ms. Stone's younger son, received a number of honors, and was named the American Poetry Society's 1991 Book of the Year.

Ms. Stone also played an active role in several charities, including the Association for Retarded Children (now The Arc) and the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse (now PCA America). She also established the Matthew J. Pascal Foundation, a private family foundation named after her firstborn son.

Young Donna and her brother grew up near Bexley, Ohio, an affluent suburb of Columbus, in a strict family of German descent. She suffered two bouts of rheumatic fever as a child, and was bedridden for several months at a time. She had private tutors and was known to be a bright child, so illness did not impede her education. She later told a biographer that her interest in writing was born during these periods of sickness and isolation.

Donna's health improved, and she grew into an attractive young lady. She met and married her first husband, writer and aspiring playwright John Pascal, whose works would later include the Broadway musical George M! The couple had a son and moved to New York. While her husband began to make a name for himself as a journalist and published author, Donna J. Pascal focused on rearing their son and supporting her husband's career. (She also had a brief foray into fashion modeling, which was humorously described to an interviewer years later.) The Pascals' young son contracted a terrible illness. The child survived, but not unscathed, and the marriage eventually ended.

These difficult times saw the beginning of a new chapter in Ms. Pascal's life. She became a strong supporter of the fledgling Association for Retarded Children, thus beginning a lifelong career as charity supporter and children's advocate. Ms. Pascal's involvement often went beyond financial or administrative. One such example was her role in exposing the abuse and neglect of mentally challenged children in New York's infamous Willowbrook State School, once described by Sen. Robert Kennedy as a "snake pit." As she later described in an interview, Ms. Pascal gained access to the residential school by posing as a recent social work graduate, and spent several days working in the "back wards." She then shared her observations with members of the press, as did several others. After a host of media attention, including the Peabody Award-winning series by Geraldo Rivera, the institution was eventually closed by the state.

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