Story #40: Dick Cone
Looking back on our 50th anniversary, there have been many people throughout the years that have built JEP to the organization it is today. One of those people is former JEP director, Dick Cone.
Cone became JEP’s leader in 1980, just eight years after the program started. With his guidance, JEP transformed from a budding campus organization to one of the finest models of serving-learning in the United States. He would hold this position until his retirement in 2002.
During his time as director, Cone forged vital partnerships with local elementary schools which led to the establishment of the ReadersPLUS program. ReadersPLUS continues on today, sending over 100 volunteers to classrooms each semester.
Cone, a pioneer in the fields of serving-learning and community engagement, was committed to social justice, education, and the intersection of the two throughout his career. He was inspired to take on the role at JEP because he believed it was crucial that universities understand the role they play in surrounding communities.
In 1997, he was honored with the USC Award for Staff Achievement for his extraordinary work at JEP.
The award cited Cone as “a visionary whose leadership and dedication to public service have made it possible for tens of thousands of students to serve their communities and to put into practice concepts they learned in the classroom.”
Cone brought his talents to JEP because he felt that the program was the perfect blend of academic learning and service to the community. He strongly believed that by working directly with people and communities, we could get one step closer to solving the world’s pressing problems that we learn about in the classroom.
“One of the resources our society has not tapped very well is the human resource,” said Cone. “Not since the Roosevelt days have we thought about how to use human resources instead of trying to buy our way out of problems.”
Sadly, Dick Cone passed away in 2020. But his legacy at JEP will never be forgotten. In 2014, JEP established the Dick Cone Award for Graduate Engaged Scholarship, which recognizes a student whose research has important practical applications for surrounding communities. This award has allowed Cone’s spirit of service to live on in both our students and the people we serve.
While his contributions to JEP are notable, Cone is remembered for his “empathy and morality” by family and friends. He was an amazing friend and mentor, and will forever be remembered by everyone he crossed paths with at JEP.