Victorville Man Paying College Tuition Costs For 8 Local Graduates

VICTORVILLE (CBSLA.com) — A Victorville man and his wife have decided to pay for college for eight local graduates.

"To me it's all very simple. The money is there. There is no need on my side, my kids, and so I said swell," said 86-year-old Dale Stoner.

Still, Stoner had a dilemma: which students to choose. That's when he went "old school."

"We looked in the phonebook," said Stoner, who then called Valerie Hatcher, the principal of University Prep.

At first, she didn't quite know what to make of the call, but after meeting with the couple, knew they were serious.

"We talked with our counseling office and two counselors and our leadership team, and they pulled two names, and they said that these two kids are deserving," she said.

Those kids are friends Ronaldo Lopez and Tonantcy Vargas. Lopez is headed to Cal State Fullerton, while Vargas is going to Cal Poly Pomona.

"This makes me feel really great inside," Lopez said, while Vargas said: "I was so shocked at the moment that I just started crying."

Stoner has worked hard all of his life, a large portion of the money from real estate. But now, with his own kids grown and taken care of, he felt it was time to pay it forward.

"To me, it's a very natural thing to do," he said.

Stoner and his family don't expect anything back except for these kids to graduate. His wish is that others will see what he's done and pay it forward as well.