David Rhodes Jones Jr.
(born ) is an American journalist. He reported for and edited ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. He received two
Gerald Loeb Award
The Gerald Loeb Award, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was estab ...
s for excellence in business and financial journalism.
Early life
Jones was born to Ruth Dillon and David R. Jones in
Connellsville, Pennsylvania in .
His mother was a teacher, and his father a civil engineer.
Education
Jones attended South Side School in Connellsville.
In the 3rd grade play, "Switzerland", he sang a duet with Ruth Schoenborn in the second act and narrated the fourth act.
Jones was cited for having perfect attendance in the tenth grade at Connellsville Joint High School.
During high school, he edited the school newspaper, the ''Coker'', served as class treasurer, and became a member of the
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...
.
He graduated On June 2, 1950, with several scholarships for university.
Jones studied journalism at
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
.
He reported for the school newspaper, the ''
Daily Collegian
The ''Daily Collegian'' is a student-produced news outlet, with a newspaper and website, that is published independently at the Pennsylvania State University. The newspaper is printed twice a week during the fall and spring semesters, and once ...
'', and spent his summers reporting for his hometown newspaper, ''
The Daily Courier''.
He was named editor of the ''Collegian'' his senior year.
He was a member of the
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an internat ...
fraternity and the
Sigma Delta Chi
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...
professional journalism fraternity.
In 1953, he received a citation for being an outstanding student in the Journalism school.
Jones participated in the
Air Force ROTC
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) ...
(AFROTC) program, including training at
Moody Air Force Base
Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia.
Geography
The base is in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with the eastern border of the base following the Lanier County line. Georgia State Rout ...
in the summer of 1953.
He graduated with his B.A. in Journalism in 1954, then started work on a Master's degree before entering the
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
in 1955.
While working for ''The Wall Street Journal'', Jones continued his studies at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, receiving his M.A. in American History in 1961.
Military service
Jones began his Air Force service as a second lieutenant (his rank acquired through the AFROTC program) at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...
on February 14, 1955.
He served in the public information branch of the Office of Information Services at the base.
Career
''The Wall Street Journal'' hired Jones after he left the Air Force in 1957.
He started in the New York City office, then, in 1961, moved to manage the
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
bureau.
He left the paper in 1963.
During his tenure, he received two
Gerald Loeb Awards for Newspapers for his work published in the ''Journal'' – the first as part of a team in 1961, the second by himself in 1963.
Jones took a month long vacation in Europe before starting at ''The New York Times'' Detroit bureau covering Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
He moved to ''Washington, D.C.'', in 1965 to report on labor issues before being promoted to assistant editor of the bureau in 1968.
He moved back to New York City the following year when he was promoted to assistant national editor.
In 1972, he replaced
Eugene L. Roberts Jr.
Eugene Leslie Roberts Jr. (born June 15, 1932) is an American journalist and professor of journalism. He has been a national editor of ''The New York Times'', executive editor of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' from 1972 to 1990, and managing editor ...
as the paper's national editor.
Jones was named the editor of national editions in 1987.
The role involved reconfiguring and developing the eight regional editions of the ''Times''.
Jone's final promotion was to assistant managing editor in 1989.
He retired .
Personal life
Jones met Mary Lee Lauffer while they were both reporters for the ''
Daily Collegian
The ''Daily Collegian'' is a student-produced news outlet, with a newspaper and website, that is published independently at the Pennsylvania State University. The newspaper is printed twice a week during the fall and spring semesters, and once ...
''.
They married on October 8, 1955, while Jones was serving in the Air Force.
Mary received her B.A. in Journalism earlier that year and was employed as a reporter for the woman's page of the
Dayton Journal Herald.
The couple's daughter, Elizabeth, is a founding director of Page 73 Productions, which focuses on developing and producing plays by early-career playwrights in New York City.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, David R.
20th-century American journalists
American male journalists
Gerald Loeb Award winners for Newspaper
The Wall Street Journal people
The New York Times people
Pennsylvania State University alumni
People from Connellsville, Pennsylvania