remembering anne jones

The night before the recent memorial service honoring the life of Anne Jones, graffiti artists invaded the Collegiate campus. In the courtyard between Memorial Hall and the Reed-Gumenick Library, they left their mark in large pink and white chalk letters. 

"Dedicated to our favorite Grandma." 

"We love you, Mrs. Jones." 

'Thanks for always getting us outta trouble." 

"No one will ever replace you." 

Their words of tribute are gone now, washed away by the rain a few days later, but the sentiment remains. Now and forever. 

A native of Galax and a graduate of the University ofVirginia School of Nursing, Anne joined the Collegiate family in the fall of 1960 when her husband, the legendary Grover Jones, signed on as the school's first football coach. 

In January 1969, she became the receptionist in the old Girls School, continued in that capacity in the Upper School after the change in structure in 1986, and remained until September 5 when cancer took her from us. 

For 33 years, she held court from her perch behind the counter, serving as a confidant, surrogate parent, story teller, and all-around purveyor of good will. 

She never knew a stranger, she cared deeply for her friends, and she ministered lovingly to several generations of students, those who walked the straight-and-narrow and especially the ones who played the game outside the lines. 

As part of their 25th reunion celebration last spring, the Class of 1977 established an endowment fund to honor a staff member who contributes to the school's daily operation and mission. Fittingly, Anne was the first recipient. 

The citation, in part, described the niche she created with her presence: "Teach without a classroom, coach without a whistle, counsel without a couch. Always know the right thing to say or do." The service for Anne in the spacious assembly hall at Second Baptist Church drew 900 people. She wouldn't have liked the fuss. That's for sure. 

She would have been pleased, though, that the tributes delivered by Ray Spence and Rob Hershey were brief, barely 25 minutes, and that the reception afterwards – a collage of Grover and Anne stories amid the fellowship of friends-lasted much longer. 

And she would have loved the weather-clear, low humidity, temperature in the mid-80's-perfect for a UVA football game or a leisurely walk along the beach with her daughters Becky and Holly. 

"I've never known anybody who had so many genuine friends," said Mancha White, a colleague and one of that multitude. "They kept up with her, and she kept up with them. Her happiest days were with the young people. She loved those children. They made her day." 

Anne was a great writer of cards and giver of gifts, not lavish ones by any means but thoughtful mementos that touched the heart. 

Near the end of school last spring, Ann Griffin, a member of the science faculty for 31 years, stopped to visit Anne before heading to Clemson University to grade advanced placement biology exams. "

As I was leaving, she stepped from behind the desk and gave me a little gift bag for the road and said to drive carefully," recalls Mrs. Griffin. "They were chocolate covered graham crackers from Starbucks. I had no idea she knew that was my secret vice. Thinking back, though, I realized that Anne knew we probably wouldn't see each other again." 

The greatest gifts Anne Jones bestowed, however, weren't the tangible ones that can be set on a shelf. They were the quiet courage she displayed when the odds were stacked high against her, the energy she brought to our community even when her own was waning, her ability to see the best in all of us, and the love she extended unconditionally to her legion of friends. 

In the years ahead, every time someone stops to help a stranger, offers an ear to a friend, or finds a ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day, we'll know that the spirit of Anne Jones truly lives among us.