E. Holman Jones

Everett Holman Jones
Louisiana State Representative from Allen and Vernon parishes
In office 1968–1972
Preceded by	T. J. Strother (Allen Parish) Bert A. Adams (Vernon Parish)
Succeeded by	James David Cain
Personal details
Born	December 17, 1926 Oakdale Allen Parish, Louisiana, USA
Died	January 12, 2014 (aged 87) Lafayette, Louisiana
Resting place	Oakdale Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Patricia Roberts Jones (married 1950-2014, his death)
Children	Fredrick Holman Jones John Craig Jones Marilyn Ann Jones Susan Lynn Jones Murry Patrick Jones
Parents	Jessie Holman Jones and Maggie Williams Jones.
Residence	Oakdale, Louisiana
Alma mater	Oakdale High School Sowela Technical Community College
Occupation	Businessman: Owner, Magnolia Printing Company
Religion	Southern Baptist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Navy
Battles/wars	World War II

Everett Holman Jones, known as E. Holman Jones (December 17, 1926 – January 12, 2014), was a businessman from Oakdale, Louisiana, who was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Allen and Vernon parishes. He served a single term from 1968 until 1972 during the second administration of Governor John McKeithen.^[1]

Background

Jones was born in Oakdale, a city in Allen Parish in southwestern Louisiana, the older son of the late Jessie Holman Jones and the former Maggie Williams. His brother, John Roland Jones, preceded him in death. Jones was a descendant of the Thomas Welch family, one of the first seven families to settle Oakdale and to establish the First Baptist Church there. Jones graduated from Oakdale High School, where he played on the football team and was a captain in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was later the president of the alumni association. He was a radioman in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he attended what is now Sowela Technical Community College in Lake Charles.^[2]

Career

For more than a half-century, Jones owned Magnolia Printing Company. For fifteen years, he was the publisher and owner of the Oakdale Journal and the Oakdale Beacon, which he began in 1960 with Harold H. Hudgins, Jr. (1916-2000),^[3] as a free publication offering parish news and local advertising.^[2][4]

In his one legislative term, Jones served alongside his fellow Democrat Buddy Leach, then of Leesville in Vernon Parish, who was from 1979 to 1981 a member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th congressional district.^[1] Representative Jones secured scholarships for many students in Allen Parish, promoted the development of rural infrastructure through his service on the Long Range Highway Committee, and worked to secure the establishment of the 33rd Judicial District Court.^[2]

Jones was a former member of the Jaycees and an officer of the Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce. He was affiliated with Lions International and the Masonic lodge. He was a member of the Oakdale Industrial Development Board. He was a long-term president of the Oakdale Recreation District board of directors. During his tenure in that capacity, two swimming pools and three ball fields were built and maintained. Teams often went to district and state playoffs.^[2]

In 2000, Jones received the "Civic Service Award" from the Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce. In 1992, he obtained the "State School Bell Award" from the Louisiana Press Association for the promotion of educational excellence. In 1999, he received the "Sam Walton Business Leader Award" named for Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Jones and his wife together received the "Community Award for Outstanding Support" for the Allen Parish Sheriff's Department.^[2]

Death

Jones died at the age of eighty-seven in Lafayette General Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. He was married for some sixty-three years to the former Patricia Roberts (born 1930), who survives him. The couple has five children, Fredrick Holman Jones and wife Rita and John Craig Jones, all of Oakdale; Marilyn Ann Jones Lee and husband, Joe R. "Buddy" Lee, of Lafayette; Susan Lynn Jones Murry and husband, William E. "Bill" Murry, of Oakdale, and Patrick Jones and wife Karen of Pineville in Rapides Parish. Services were held on January 15, 2014 in the First Baptist Church of Oakdale. Interment followed at Oakdale Cemetery.^[2]

References

1. "Membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2012" (PDF). legis.la.gov. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
2. "E. Holman Jones". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
3. "Harold H. Hudgins, Jr.". findagrave.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
4. "Deaths Elsewhere: E. Holman Jones". Eunice Today. Retrieved January 14, 2014.