Former director of alumni affairs dies at 86

Frank B. Jones lived a life others will continue to respect him for because of what he did for IU and his community.

Jones died Tuesday at the age of 86 in Franklin, Ind.

Born in 1923, Jones left IU during World War II to serve in the U.S. Air Force. When he came back to IU, he joined the Alumni Association from 1951 to 1987.

IU’s Alumni Association became one of the nation’s largest, garnering 62,000 members during his tenure.

“He was very influential in the University,” said family friend and IU senior Jesse Loop. “He worked very closely with Herman B Wells.”

A friend of Jones since 1954, Bill Baldwin recalls the first business venture he and Jones started in their late 20s. The two of them built a dam in Brown County to create a lake, around which they would sell property lots.

“We had bad financial problems, but Frank convinced a bank to fund us even though we had little collateral,” Baldwin said. “It was his persuasive charm that got them to do it.”

Together the two ended up selling all their lots and essentially created what is now Somerset Lake.

Along with serving as “the ultimate alumni secretary,” Jones was director of Alumni Affairs and an adviser to the Delta Upsilon fraternity.

“He was important to our fraternity in so many ways,” said Ronald Kovener, adviser for IU chapter of Delta Upsilon  and close friend of Jones.

A Benjamin Franklin history buff, Jones wrote many articles on Franklin and a book, “Benjamin Franklin Remembered,” that sold more than 10,000 copies. “I can even answer questions on ‘Jeopardy’ because of something that Frank B. Jones said,” Kovener said.

Jones suffered from diabetes and dementia, which hit its worst three months before his death.

A while ago, Kovener came across some old pictures and visited Jones to show him the photos. However Jones could no longer recall what they were of.

“He was well into Alzheimer’s at that point,” Kovener said. “That visit didn’t turn out as I hoped.” He added that Jones never forgot who Kovener was.

As former neighbors with Jones, Chancellor Ken Gros Louis got to know Jones fairly well.

“He was very vigorous on behalf of the Alumni Association,” Gros Louis said, “He played things pretty close to the chest.”