MRS. JONES' LEGACY

Born October 31, 1905 in the small community of Oak Grove, Arkansas, Bernice learned early to do her part within family life, and that Christian compassion should extend to the community around her.  After graduating from Springdale High School in 1924, she went on to earn a teaching degree from the University of Arkansas.  For several years, she taught at Harmon and Oak Grove Schools and in 1938, after a long courtship, she married the up-and-coming Harvey Jones.

The business success of Harvey Jones is almost mythical -- in 1918, at the age of 18, Harvey started a grocery and hardware hauling enterprise with a team of mules and a Springfield wagon.  He bought his first truck one year later and the Jones Truck Line took off, eventually growing to be one of the largest trucking companies in the USA.  Bernice and Harvey shared the same goals and philosophy, caring deeply about their community and its people.  Throughout 51 years of marriage, they demonstrated this dedication through generous financial support given to numerous educational programs and medical facilities throughout Arkansas and other states.

After Harvey's death in 1989, Bernice carried on the vision that she and Harvey shared for so many years -- to help those in need and to make the future brighter for families of today and generations to come.

Of paramount importance to Northwest Arkansas were the conversions of the former Jones Truck Line facilities into the three buildings on the Jones Center Campus.  The former truck terminal lives on as the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families, with swimming, ice skating and various other recreational and meeting areas.  What was once a corporate office building is now a Health Education facility.  The JTL shop building, where big rigs were once repaired, is now home to over 40 non-profit agencies, including the ASPSF!  These extraordinary acts of philanthropy drew national attention when, on February 26, 1996, President Clinton awarded Mrs. Jones the Presidential Citizen Medal for her service to humanity.

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