Guy L. and Margaret W. Jones Endowment

Guy and Margaret Jones

It is fitting that the bookplate for the Guy L. and Margaret W. Jones Endowment will include an image of North Carolina tobacco plants, because tobacco has been Guy L. Jones's life's work.

Guy Jones obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota and is now professor emeritus of crop science at NC State. He grew up on a tobacco farm, did the research for his advanced degrees on tobacco and wheat crops, taught on tobacco-related subjects in the Department of Crop Science, and helped North Carolina’s tobacco farmers through the agronomy and crop science extension programs at NC State. In fact, he still has a farm that grows tobacco.

The Jones Endowment bookplate

The Jones's endowment supports the purchase of library materials — books, journals, and other resources — in the field of crop science. About the importance of a world-class library and a comprehensive collection at the university, Jones says,

The library touches everybody — it touches students, it touches faculty, it touches the administration. . . . If you don't have a good library, you can't expect to have good academic programs, either undergraduate or graduate.

Although Jones is now retired from NC State, he remains involved in activities on and around campus. He and his wife Margaret often attend author appearances, the annual Friends of the Library Spring Dinner, and other events sponsored by the Friends.

Jones, second from left, in a 1947 genetics
lab with Assistant Professor Daniel Grosch
and two other veterans.
Photo courtesy of the NC State Agromeck.

Jones, whose undergraduate education at NC State was interrupted by service as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, advised the Libraries' Special Collections Research Center on its Fall 2004 exhibit on the GI Bill, and loaned several items for the displays. His report card, along with that of Donald Moreland (also a retired NC State faculty member) illustrated the academic achievements of returning veterans, while his officer's dress uniform offered a personal view of the post-war era on campus.

Margaret Jones attended Greensboro College and is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She is also a graduate of the School of Modern Photography in New York. When returning to Raleigh, she put her portrait photography skills to work in her home studio. They lived in the temporary housing on campus known as "Vetville" while Guy pursued his Master's degree. She is active with the NC State Women's Club and the Raleigh Woman's Club.

Both of the Jones children have carried on the Wolfpack tradition. Their son, Guy Jones Jr., graduated from NC State and married Gail Coburn, also a graduate of NC State. They have four children. Their daughter, Margaret Jones Harvey, graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem and took summer courses at NC State. Margaret has four sons, three of whom are triplets.