Stone, Harry

Harry Stone (1917-2007) was a business leader in Cleveland, Ohio, active in politics and philanthropy. He was the son of Jacob Sapirstein, the founder of American Greetings Corp., a manufacturer of greeting cards. Stone was a member of the Glenville High School Class of 1935. In addition to the positions he held at American Greetings, Stone also owned radio stations WIXY and WDOK and was engaged in real estate and international trade and finance. Among his many civic activities, Stone was a trustee of Brandeis University, the Jewish Community Federation, and the Cleveland Sight Center.

Stone married Beatrice Farkas in 1936. The couple had three children, Phillip J, Allan D., and Laurie. After the death of Beatrice, Harry married Lucile Tabak Rose in 1960. Her children from a previous marriage were James M. Rose and Douglas B. Rose. In the 1960s Stone was campaign chairman for United States Representative Charles Vanik. His relationship with Vanik proved beneficial to the Jewish community in 1973, when Vanik asked Stone and his brother Irving for help in scheduling a vote on the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which required the USSR to allow Jewish emigration to the United States in order to qualify for most favored nation status. The Stone brothers asked Representative Wilbur Mills of Arkansas to schedule the vote; American Greetings was at the time the largest employer in Mills' Arkansas district. Stone also served as a consultant to the United States Departments of Commerce and State.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Jacob Sapirstein

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for American Greetings Corporation

From the guide to the Harry Stone Photographs, 1917-1988, (Western Reserve Historical Society)

Harry Stone (1917-2007) was a business leader in Cleveland, Ohio, active in politics and philanthropy. He was the son of Jacob Sapirstein, the founder of American Greetings Corp., a manufacturer of greeting cards. Stone was a member of the Glenville High School Class of 1935. In addition to the positions he held at American Greetings, Stone also owned radio stations WIXY and WDOK and was engaged in real estate and international trade and finance. Among his many civic activities, Stone was a trustee of Brandeis University, the Jewish Community Federation, and the Cleveland Sight Center.

Stone married Beatrice Farkas in 1936. The couple had three children, Phillip J, Allan D., and Laurie. After the death of Beatrice, Harry married Lucile Tabak Rose in 1960. Her children from a previous marriage were James M. Rose and Douglas B. Rose. In the 1960s Stone was campaign chairman for United States Representative Charles Vanik. His relationship with Vanik proved beneficial to the Jewish community in 1973, when Vanik asked Stone and his brother Irving for help in scheduling a vote on the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which required the USSR to allow Jewish emigration to the United States in order to qualify for most favored nation status. The Stone brothers asked Representative Wilbur Mills of Arkansas to schedule the vote; American Greetings was at the time the largest employer in Mills' Arkansas district. Stone also served as a consultant to the United States Departments of Commerce and State.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Jacob Sapirstein

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for American Greetings Corporation

From the guide to the Harry Stone Papers, 1943-2006, (Western Reserve Historical Society)