07 LC 37
0503
House
Resolution 731
By:
Representatives Keen of the
179th,
Lane of the
167th,
and Hill of the
180th
A
RESOLUTION
Expressing
regret at the passing of Alfred W. Jones, Jr.; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia lost one of its finest and most distinguished citizens with
the tragic and untimely passing of Alfred W. Jones, Jr., on Saturday, March 24,
2007; and
WHEREAS,
Alfred W. Jones, Jr., was former president and chairman of the board of Sea
Island Company and a long-time community leader; and
WHEREAS,
born in 1930 in Savannah, Georgia, Mr. Jones was reared on Sea Island, Georgia,
the oldest child of Alfred W. and Katharine Talbott Jones; and
WHEREAS,
after completing prep school at Millbrook School in New York, he received a
degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia in 1952 and also
attended the advanced management program at Harvard University in 1972;
and
WHEREAS,
after serving three years as an officer in the United States Navy, he was
briefly employed by Seaboard Construction Company prior to beginning his career
with Sea Island Company in 1956, when he became a director and assistant to the
president, A.W. Jones, Sr.; and
WHEREAS,
by 1966 he had become president of Sea Island Company and in 1980 became
chairman, a position he retained until his retirement in 1997 while turning the
role of president over to his son, Bill Jones III, in 1993; and
WHEREAS,
by the time of his death, Sea Island Company had grown to own and operate not
only the Cloister, which was opened by his father and company founder Howard
Coffin in 1928, but also The Lodge at Sea Island, The Lodge at Cabin Bluff,
Ocean Forest Golf Club, and Frederica Golf Club, as well as a highly successful
real estate division; and
WHEREAS,
colleagues credit him with modernizing the company´s business
infrastructure, expanding guest accommodations and amenities, and overseeing
long-range planning for the resort; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Jones was a supporter of many civic and philanthropic causes throughout his
life including the creation of the Wesley Memorial Garden and gifts of land for
Wesley United Methodist Church at Frederica, Christian Renewal Church, and
Frederica Presbyterian Church, among others; and
WHEREAS,
he is survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty Macdonald Jones; their three
children, Ann Jones Gregg of St. Simons Island; Bill Jones III of St. Simons
Island; and Jim Jones of St. Simons Island and New York; three grandchildren,
two sisters, and ten nieces and nephews; and
WHEREAS,
the untimely passing of this generous, kind, and devoted family man leaves an
unfillable void in the hearts and lives of his family and friends.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body express their deepest and most sincere regret at the passing of Alfred
W. Jones, Jr., and recognize the warm, wonderful spirit of this man expressed in
his lifetime by the numerous contributions he made to his community, all of
southeast Georgia, and the entire state.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
Alfred W. Jones, Jr.