Joel and Carol Stinson were committed to higher education. As lifelong learners, they reaped the rewards of their own academic pursuits and passionately encouraged others to unlock their potential through education.
Joel Stinson was born in 1935 in Houlton, Maine. He graduated from Houlton High School in 1953, where he excelled at basketball, cross country, and track. He attended the University of Maine on an athletic scholarship, where he continued to run track and cross country and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1957. Joel joined the Navy, attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and then began work at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC.
Carol Franklin was born in 1942 in Washington, DC. She graduated second in her high school class and then attended Wellesley College. Carol’s mother introduced her to Joel, a young Navy Officer she worked with at the Naval Research Lab. Joel and Carol were married in 1962 and subsequently moved to Cleveland, Ohio. While in Cleveland, Carol earned her undergraduate degree in English from Oberlin College. As a newlywed in 1962, Carol’s achievement of earning a college degree reflected the couple’s unwavering dedication to the value of higher education.
In Cleveland, Joel began working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Carol began the start of her professional life working at the Cleveland Public Library. The couple eventually relocated to Cape Canaveral, Florida where they started their family. At NASA, Joel worked on the Gemini and Saturn programs. Joel earned a Master of Science degree in Space Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree from Florida Institute of Technology.
In 1972, Joel and Carol and their two children moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Joel would earn his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. After completing his Doctorate in 1975, Joel became a professor at Syracuse University and the family moved to DeWitt, New York. Carol began working in the Dean of Students office at Le Moyne College, holding that position for nearly 20 years. She found joy in connecting with young college students as they began navigating their path to adulthood.
After Joel retired from Syracuse in 1995, Joel and Carol returned to his home state of Maine, settling in Harpswell for many years. Joel was an avid stamp collector, who also enjoyed playing tennis and racquetball, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with his grandchildren. In retirement he also enjoyed competing in the Senior Games and won many medals in tennis and track events at the state, regional, and national levels.
Wherever Carol lived, she made connections that lasted her entire life. While living the retired life in Harpswell, Carol volunteered at Curtis Memorial Library. Throughout her life she was an avid reader and learner. Carol’s ability to connect with others, coupled with her keen intellect and commitment to justice and equity, endeared her to all who had the privilege of knowing her. Her 15-year struggle with Alzheimer’s gradually dampened her intellectual gifts, but her love for and interest in others continued to shine through.
Joel passed away in 2020 and Carol passed away in 2024. Joel and Carol’s family established this Fund to honor their lives and to support individuals in the Brunswick area striving to achieve their dreams through higher education.