Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Accounting James Frederick Jones (August 13, 1929-) was born in Bolton, North Carolina. He earned his B.A. degree at Elon College, Elon, North Carolina, in 1951 and his M.A. degree at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, a year later. He began his teaching career in 1952 at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he served as an instructor of history and business education. Jones moved the next year to Louisburg, North Carolina, where he taught principles and intermediate accounting at Louisburg College. In 1954, he accepted the position of instructor in law, retailing, and accounting at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, where he taught for two years. His work at High Point University also included serving as counselor for men both years and tennis coach, which resulted in two North State Conference tennis championships. Jones then moved to Boone, North Carolina, where he taught accounting and taxation at Appalachian State University for the next thirty-six years. While at Appalachian State, Jones earned promotions from instructor to assistant, associate, and full professor. He did not limit his university service to the classroom; he also was a varsity tennis coach (1956-74), sports information director (1957-66), business manager and accountant of athletics (1960-74), assistant, associate, and director of athletics (196972, 1972-74, 1974-80), coordinator of graduate studies and internships in accounting (1982-94), coordinator of the Appalachian study-abroad program in England (1990), and internship coordinator (1981-93). Within his department, Jones was an acting chair (1962-63 and 1990-92) and chair (1981-88) and lectured for Appalachian State in Germany and England. He has been a member or chair of many academic committees, including the Dean's Advisory Council, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Self-Study Committee, and the Curriculum Committee. From 1983 to 1994, Jones was the Southern Conference, Asheville, North Carolina, secretary-treasurer. He also did forty-two hours of postgraduate work at Appalachian State and at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Jones's accounting experience took him far beyond the classroom. He worked as cost accountant for Reigel Paper Company (1951-52), public accountant (1953), Internal Revenue Service field auditor (1956), accountant for the Boone outdoor drama Horn in the West (1958-62), and business director, treasurer, and part owner for Camp Yonahlassee in Blowing Rock (1970-80). He also served as treasurer and controller for the Otto Jones Enterprises (1980-85). Jones has co-authored a number of articles on university salary trends and tax issues. The titles of some of his many publications are: "Development of Overseas Accounting Programs," "Tax Tips for Teachers," and "Personal Tax Management and Savings." In 2001, Jones co-authored with his daughter, Dr. Judy Tisdale, a study on the college preparation of accounting students to communicate effectively in the profession. This paper was presented November 2001 at the annual conference of the Association of Business Communicators in San Diego, California. Jones's public service record is as extensive as his academic and professional history. His leadership roles include: commissioner, Watauga County Parks and Recreation; president (twice), Boone Lions Club; treasurer, North Carolina Lions Club State Convention; member, vice-president, and treasurer (for twenty-one years), Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; director and treasurer, Watauga County Red Cross; and commissioner, Boone Cable TV. Jones was also a member of the Boone United Methodist Church finance committee (1996-99). As well as being vice president and president of the NAIA National Tennis Coaches Association, Jones directed the NAIA National Tennis Tournament from 1968 to 1971. Included among Jones's many honors are membership in the Helms-NAIA Hall of Fame and in the Appalachian Sports Hall of Fame, the Lambda Chi Alpha Distinguished Service Award, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Community Recognition Award, the North Carolina Outstanding Accounting Educator Award, and induction into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in January, 2005. In 1992, the university established a $250,000 endowment fund in Jones's honor. Jones's professional organization memberships included the American Accounting Association, Beta Alpha Psi (accounting), College Athletics Business Managers Association, College Athletics Directors Association, and Phi Delta Kappa (education). Jones's athletics involvement has distinguished him further in the Appalachian community. In his twenty years as varsity head tennis coach, Jones never had a losing season, and he established an overall record of 267 wins and 86 losses. His teams were North State Conference champions twice, Carolina Conference champions six times (consecutively), NAIA District Champions seven times (consecutively), and Southern Conference champions once. Jones never had a team finish lower than third in conference standings, third in NAIA district standings, and eleventh in the NAIA National Tournament. His teams participated in ten national tournaments, seven in the NAIA, and three (final three coaching years) in the NCAA. Thirteen of Jones's former players have gone on to be college tennis coaches, several at major universities. Six former players have earned doctorate degrees, and one is a college president. Although Jones was named professor emeritus on July 1, 1993, he coordinated Appalachian's internship program for two more years and his ties to the Department of Accounting and the Walker College of Business continue. Jones has served on several temporary committees in recent years at the request of the chancellor, including the self-study committee required for re-certification of the athletics program by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the study on possible reclassification of the football program. Jones has presented programs at Appalachian State's continuing education forum for accounting professionals and he has also introduced returning Appalachian State University alumni who were featured speakers. Jones has been very active in his retirement years in the following roles: member of the Watauga County Republican Party (Executive Committee, 1995; treasurer, 1996-2002); delegate to the Republican State Convention (1998 and 1999); member-at-large of the North Carolina Republican Executive Committee (1999-2000); alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention (2000); and member and treasurer, Board of Directors, Watauga Education Foundation (1999-2003). He was voted lifetime honorary member of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, 1999, and, in the same year, was presented the Ben Suttle Special Service Award by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2004, Jones was presented the Jack Stickley Fellowship Award by the North Carolina Lions Foundation for his dedicated humanitarian services over forty-eight years of Lionism. Over the years, Jones has also done consulting work with not-for-profit organizations on the installation and operation of special computer accounting software. One grant assignment covered a ten-county area in western North Carolina. Jim and his wife, Elaine, have traveled extensively. They have been to Europe, Ireland, and the United Kingdom (eleven times), and forty-eight of the fifty states to date. Their cruises have included Alaska and five trips to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, and Aruba. They have visited Mexico and five Canadian Provinces, three in the east and two in the extreme west. Jim and Elaine have three grown daughters: Judy, Amy, and Betsy. Judy is married to Dr. John Tisdale, a Methodist minister who is currently a counselor in Chapel Hill. Judy has an undergraduate degree from High Point University, a graduate degree from Appalachian State University, and a Ph.D. degree from University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She is currently a full professor in the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and has a two-year-old son, Josiah. She was named the outstanding undergraduate teacher in the school of business in 2002. Amy is married to Steve Viola, and they have two children, James, four, and Grace, two. She is a graduate of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has an M.B.A. degree from Appalachian State University. She was also employed by GMAC, until giving birth to Elaine and Jim's first grandchild, James, in 2003. Betsy is married to Brendan Walsh of Charlotte, a former co-owner of a computer networking company, who is currently writing novels. Betsy holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a law degree from Wake Forest University. She worked six years for a legal firm in Charlotte, and is currently employed by Novant Health as vice president and deputy general counsel. She has a one-year-old daughter, Katherine. Since retirement the Joneses have supported the Appalachian Foundation with gifts of stock, cash and charitable gift annuities. The total given from 1992 through 2003 exceeds $35,000. In addition, Jim has a life insurance policy, with the foundation as the beneficiary. When asked, he also continues to contact former students for contributions for athletics and academics. For his efforts in academics and athletics, Jones has been honored with two endowments: the Jim Jones Scholarship Endowment and the James F. Jones Endowed Fund. Current assets in the two funds total over $220,000. The two funds have awarded thousands of dollars since the inception of the second fund in 1992, and the academic disbursements currently exceed $7,000 annually. Jones may be the only retired professor with two endowed funds. Sources: Appalachian State University files, long association, and personal interviews. -Dr. Richard D. Howe
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