WILLIAM N. JONES

Managing Editor of The AFRO-AMERICAN

William N. Jones, one of the most
active figures in Negro journalism today, i?
a native of South Carolina. Before gradu-
ating from the graded school of Spartan-
burg, he attended the Clennmons Episcopal
Mission School, and after a year in the
printing department of Tuskegee Institute,
he entered Benedict College, where he
graduated from the College Preparatory
and the College Departments, receiving the
degree of A. B.

Like most southern youths, Mr. Jones
has supported himself since he was 18 years
of age and worked his way through school.
During the last two years of his college
course he was a student teacher of printing
and directed the South Carolina Standard.

Although unassuming, he early demon-
strated capacity for potential leadership.
In school he was president of the Douglass
Debating Club, student manager of ath-
letics, for a while conducted the College
Band and "Mayor" of the school govern-
ment, a system of student government
which he helped to inaugurate at Benedict College and which had judicial and
legislative departments which completely controlled student life and taught self
government.

After leaving Benedict he taught physics at Haines Institute, Augusta, Ga.,
and for two years was head of the science department of Bishop College, Marshall,
Texas, where he taught biology and conducted the work in chemistry and physics.
While teaching at Haines he became a protege of the late C. H. Turner and
helped him in his research work in biology, making studies upon which the
biologist wrote some of his pamphlets on ant life.

While doing summer work at the University of Chicago, Mr. Jones became
interested in social investigation and upon the suggestion of workers at Hull
House decided to enter this field. He gave up his place as head of the science
department at Bishop and took a job as chauffeur in Memphis as a beginning in
social service work.

Very soon he attracted the attention of Dr. George E. Haynes, then a
secretary of the National Urban League, who included his work in the Urban
League program.

In Memphis Mr. Jones developed the first municipal playground ever started
in the South and created the first position of Municipal Director of Social Survey
of Memphis. As Director oi Municipal Social Survey of Memphis, he had
charge of municipal recreation, band concerts, public dance halls, the City School
Department and branches of the city library, helped to develop the juvenile court
and the Woman's Protective Department, with a policewoman connected with
the police department.

He guided the recreation department to its purchase of the $85,000 central
auditorium and recreation park, formerly owned by Robert R. Church.

Down on the register of Benedict College in 1899, Jones wrote his life ob-
jective as that of journalist, and six years ago he left the social service field and
joined the staff of the Afro-American. Starting as court reporter, he was
promoted to City Editor and then to his present place as Managing Editor of
what has been adjudged America's best Negro journal.

Incidentally, since his connection with the Afro-American, Mr. Jones has
organized the first evening class in journalism ever conducted in a colored high
school. He is at present President of the Baltimore Century Club, affiliated with
the Baltimore Association of Commerce; Vice-President of the Baltimore Urban
League, a member of the Executive Committee of the N. A. A. C. P., a member
of the State Central Committee of the Progressive Party, a member of the Boy
Scout Council, and a member of the Association for the Handicapped.

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