Deluxe's Burton “Bud” Stone
Passes Away at 80
 Burton “Bud” Stone, former President of Deluxe Laboratories, died here at his Los Angeles home on April 18. He was 80 years old.
"Bud was remarkably important to every Cinematographer,” notes ICG President Steven Poster, ASC. “He made people understand our place in the filmmaking process. Important people who have as big a heart as Bud don't come along very often. I am proud to have called him my friend."
“Bud Stone was a warm, caring, generous man and a tireless contributor to our community,” says Deluxe President and CEO, Cyril Drabinsky, who succeeded Stone in that role. “He was also a great husband, father and friend. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him.”
Stone was born in Englewood, New Jersey in 1927. He literally grew up in the film industry. His father, James Stone, began working at a film lab in nearby Fort Lee, New Jersey during the waning days of the silent film era. During his youth, Stone was a frequent visitor to the lab, where he worked part-time as a “can boy”.
After serving a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy from 1945 until 1947, Stone enrolled at Florida Southern College, where he met and married Judy Gallus in 1950.
After earning an undergraduate degree in 1951, Stone returned to the film industry in the New York City area. He was an assistant film editor for a while before working his way up through the ranks of management at several film labs. Stone was named president of Deluxe Laboratories, in Hollywood, in 1976. He served in that role until his retirement in 1994.
Stone was widely recognized for the leadership role that he played in the motion picture industry. In 1996, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors presented the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation to Stone “in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy.”
Stone had a special appreciation for the role that cinematographers play in the art and craft of filmmaking. He was a driving force at the inception of the Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards in 1986, and served as co-chairman of the industry-wide committee which drives that annual event for 17 years.
Stone was an honorary member of the ASC, a tribute that has only been presented to two dozen individuals, including Thomas Edison, George Eastman and astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin.
He served as President of the Technology Council of the Motion Picture and Television Industry, was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers, the Hollywood Television & Radio Society, and was on the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Stone was presented with an honorary doctorate degree from Florida State University in 1996. He received the Ken Mason Inter-Society Award at the ShoWest Conference in 2001, when he was also inducted in to the ShoEast Hall of Fame. Stone was awarded Fellowships in the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
He was also widely recognized as a dedicated humanitarian. In 1993, Stone received the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award. He was Honorary Chairman and Director of the Will Rogers Foundation, and served on the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Pioneers, Hollywood Heart Fund, and Covenant House.
Stone is survived by his wife Judy, children Jeff, Ron and Barbara, six grandchildren, and his brother, Ed Stone.
Plans for a memorial service in Los Angeles will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Bud Stone Memorial c/o of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.
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