Jennings
A. Jones
Jennings A. Jones
came to Murfreesboro to work as an electrical engineer for the
Tennessee Electric Power Company following his graduation in 1931
from UT -Knoxville. When the TVA took over this business, he was
urged by his wife, the former Rebecca Ransom, to find a business
they could buy or build. That first experience as an entrepreneur
resulted in the Jones Locker and Cold Storage System, a locker
for Rutherford County farmers. Later, he became part owner and
president of what is now Southland Supply Co., Inc., a ready-to-mix
concrete supplier, and was involved in numerous real estate development
partnerships.
Jones later acquired farm
lands adjoining his wife's family farm, making theirs one of the
largest holdings in Rutherford County. He was director of Murfreesboro
Bank & Trust Co., as well as its successor, for thirty years,
during which time he served on the board's executive committee.
He was a founder of the former
National Savings Life Insurance Company and was responsible for
the home office being located in Murfreesboro.
After serving as a Lieutenant
Colonel in World War II, Jones returned to civilian life. In 1946,
the newly-elected City Council formed Murfreesboro's first planning
commission and asked him to serve as chair. In that position,
he conceived and developed a major road plan which, over the last
forty years, has been built into what are now the major traffic
arteries of the city. His planning for Murfreesboro became known
to then Governor Gordon Browning, who appointed him to the Tennessee
State Planning Commission. Later, his fellow commissioners elected
him chair.
Jones served as mayor of Murfreesboro
from 1950 to 1954, during which time the City Council established
the Murfreesboro Housing Authority. With the Authority's "can
do" attitude, they not only built low-cost housing, but within
record time had cleared and turned 55 acres of slums into valuable
real estate. Jones also served as director of the Tennessee Municipal
League.
A few years later, he was
asked to chair the newly-formed Murfreesboro Water and Sewer Commission.
Other community boards on which he has served include the Chamber
of Commerce, the Rutherford Hospital (including chair), and the
Middle Tennessee Medical Center Development Foundation.
Jennings Jones has made several
"seed money" gifts designed to make a difference in
the community. A partial list of these include MTSU's Jennings
A. Jones Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise; Jennings and
Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning;
Crimestoppers of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County; the Excel
Card program; computer education; the MTSU Landsat teaching and
mapping program; and school mini-grants.
Mr. Jones passed away on August 19, 2005 at the
age of 95. |
