J.W. Jones
J.W. Jones in the 1931 Norwester, p. 6.
John William Jones, known as “J. W.,” was an influential force in Upper Arlington’s formative years of public schooling. One of our middle schools bears his name, yet the details of the man himself are not as widely known.
Principal - 1920-1924
UA Schools Superintendent - 1924-1944
Teacher - until his passing on April 30, 1954
Circa 1948. J.W. Jones with his three sons, possibly in front of his home at 1802 Coventry Road.
Rita Wilkinson, a descendent, shares the following about J. W.’s family life:
Born January 13, 1886 in Liverpool, England
Married December 25, 1916 to Wilma Warren in Wellston, Ohio
They had four children:
Justin - UAHS Class of 1936
Ellen - UAHS Class of 1941
William Warren “Bud” - UAHS Class of 1942
Jack “Stanley” - UAHS Class of 1947
Wilma died in 1938 at the age of 40 due to heart failure
J. W. Jones died April 30, 1954
This was the Upper Arlington community’s introduction to J. W. Jones in 1920:
October 1920 Norwester magazine, p. 16. “Principal of the school” meant the temporary school building known as the Waltham Road school or the Barracks school. It sat where the Devon Road diving pool is today from 1919 - 1938.
J. W. Jones’s words from 1923:
The very first yearbook - called the 1923 Annual - was published in 1923 and dedicated to the school’s principal, J. W. Jones. Here is his fitting message for this inaugural venture.
Once the building we know as “Jones Middle School” was completed in 1924, Upper Arlington was awarded the state charter to graduate seniors. (Prior to 1925, students in the twelfth grade went to Grandview.) UA Schools became an independent school district, with J. W. Jones as its Superintendent, as pictured here.
A description of the leadership of our Schools through J. W. Jones:
From the History of Upper Arlington - (p. 142).
From the 1947 Norwester:
After J. W. Jones stepped down from his Superintendent role after 20 years, he stayed on as a faculty member.
A final dedication to a man who dedicated much of his life to our Schools. J. W. Jones died April 30, 1954.
When UA’s Ridgeview Road high school opened in fall of 1956, it was suggested by a school board member to name the former UAHS building on the Mallway “Jones Junior High School.” When ninth graders began attending UAHS in 1983, the name changed again to “Jones Middle School.”
J. W. Jones - Wall of Honor plaque:
J. W. Jones was inducted into Upper Arlington’s Wall of Honor in 2018. The plaque hangs outside the entrance of our Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Road.