Ruth Stone, an acclaimed poet and former Binghamton University professor, died of natural causes at her home in Ripton, Vt. on Nov. 19. She was 96.

Stone was a creative writing professor at BU from 1988 to 2000. Initially a visiting professor, Stone accepted a permanent position at BU in 1988 and received tenure in 1990.

Phoebe Stone, Ruth’s daughter, praised her mother’s prowess in poetry and teaching.

“My mother was known and loved for her beautiful poetry and for her inspiring teaching,” Stone said. “She listened to and encouraged her many, many students, as well as poets and writers across the country.”

Phoebe Stone said her mother enjoyed her time as a professor and kept teaching for as long as she was able.

“[Ruth’s] eyesight began to fail and she couldn’t drive anymore … so reluctantly she retired,” Stone said.

Liz Rosenberg, a professor of English, general literature and rhetoric at BU and a former colleague of Stone’s, emphasized Stone’s love for her field.

“Everyone was struck by Ruth’s extraordinary vibrancy and passion for poetry,” Rosenberg said. “She did not see poetry or art as something aloof from life, but central to it.”

Stone was born on June 8, 1915 in Roanoke, Va. Her mother encouraged her to pursue poetry from a young age, according to a report in the L.A. Times.

Stone received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard.

Seeking to support her three daughters, Stone began her academic career as a visiting teacher at various colleges, including Radcliffe, Indiana University, the University of California and New York University. She finally arrived at SUNY Binghamton in 1988.

In addition to her work as a professor, Stone authored 13 collections of poetry and won many literary awards. These included the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award and a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize.

Stone’s remark after winning the National Book Award in 2002 revealed her humorous side.

“They probably gave it to me because I’m old,” Stone said at the time.

Phoebe Stone pointed out the broad range of topics on which Ruth’s poetry touched.

“My mother’s poetry was about her life, the love for and later the suicide of her husband and my father Walter Stone,” Phoebe said. “Her poems were about her daughters, her mother and father and her grandmothers, nature, science, everything.”

Ruth Stone is survived by three daughters, Abigail, Phoebe and Marcia, as well as seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.