John Paul Jones Memorial Trust

John Paul Jones, Emeritus Associate Professor of Communication, died August 14, 1969, of leukemia at the age of 72. When he retired in June of 1967, he had completed 30 years of teaching voice training, fundamentals of speech, discussion, debate, stage production and drama at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and its predecessor institutions.

Professor Jones was a native of Ishpeming, Michigan. After service in World War I, Mr. Jones studied briefly at the Sorbonne and in 1922 was graduated from the University of Wisconsin where he was an active participant in the Haresfoot drama organization. Many stage personalities were numbered among his friends, including Pauline Lord and Walter Huston, both of whom appeared with Mr. Jones in Broadway productions. For many years, he was associated with the Wisconsin Players as actor and director.

Professor Jones, affectionately called John Paul, began his college teaching career in 1927 at the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota. From there he went to St. Mary’s College, also in Winona, where he remained until 1934. He taught for a short time at the University of Arizona, then coached Hollywood silent screen stars who were making the transition to the “talkies.” He came to the then Milwaukee State Teachers College in 1937.

A colorful personality with a flair for the dramatic, John Paul was likewise respected as an outstanding teacher, devoted to the principles of service, loyalty and creativity in the best traditions of his profession. He combined sincerity of purpose, thoroughness of preparation and scholarship with an understanding of young people. He allowed no “generation gap” to come between him and his students. Hundreds remember him for his gentle and kind character, his quick willingness to help whenever and wherever needed. In addition to his teaching, he served in many other capacities on the campus, including those of Assistant Dean of Men, debate coach, advisor to Delta Sigma Kappa fraternity, and director of dramatic skits.

His faculty colleagues recall his many acts of service which he performed unselfishly and unobtrusively; but they also recall his great spirit of fun and his ability to make the world a fun-filled place for others. Especially memorable in this respect were the famed daily “coffee hours” in the Faculty Lounge those first years of merger, where—largely because of John Paul’s efforts as Chairman of the Lounge Committee—two disparate faculty groups quickly blended into one friendly whole. His efforts to be helpful readily carried over into the community, as he gave generously of his time and talent to many persons and organizations of which his church, St. Monica’s, the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, and the Newman Center were foremost. His dramatic readings were particularly acclaimed.

Artistry perhaps best describes this man—artistry in the art of teaching; artistry in understanding the student; artistry in helping and serving his colleagues; and the rare artistry of genuine confidence in his fellow man. This was John Paul Jones.