<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 125
By Sparks
HJR0125
002723
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A RESOLUTION to honor Charles Robert Jones on his lifetime of
service to his community and the State of
Tennessee.
WHEREAS, it is fitting that we should salute those citizens who, through their
extraordinary efforts, have distinguished themselves as community leaders of whom we can all
be proud; and
WHEREAS, one such noteworthy person is Charles Robert Jones, a highly successful
businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who has an extensive record of accomplishment
and a distinguished lifetime of service to his community; and
WHEREAS, a native son of Tennessee, Charles Robert Jones was born on June 21,
1930, on his grandfather's farm in Gainesboro and moved with his family to Nashville in 1933
before relocating to Rutherford County in 1936; and
WHEREAS, after the outbreak of World War II, the Jones family moved to Brunswick,
Georgia, where young Charles worked in the J.A. Jones Shipyard as a messenger; the family
returned to Nashville in 1946, and Charles Jones attended East Nashville High School until
quitting in the tenth grade to work for the Avco Corporation, making steel parts for the aviation
industry, and later in construction; and
WHEREAS, in 1949, Charles Jones moved to Detroit, Michigan, to work at an
automobile plant before joining the United States Army in 1951. During the Korean War, he
served as a medical corpsman and later as a psychiatric assistant; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure in the Army, he met and married the love of his life,
Maryetta, to whom he sent over 400 love letters during his two years of military service; and
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WHEREAS, after the end of the Korean War, Mr. Jones began his college education at
David Lipscomb University in Nashville in 1953, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in History
and Speech. He later earned a master's degree from Western Michigan University; and
WHEREAS, during his college years, Charles Jones preached at a small Church of
Christ congregation and served as a substitute teacher in Michigan; in 1965, he left his job in
public education to work at an automobile leasing company as a manager, where his
tremendous success led him to never return to work as an educator; and
WHEREAS, after his success in the automobile leasing industry and a stint as president
of the local chapter of the Michigan Education Association, he was asked to develop a member
benefit program for the Michigan Education Association that later led him to develop a similar
program for the National Education Association, and he was able to negotiate deals with banks,
financial institutions, insurance companies, and manufacturers to get discounts for teachers on
a national scale; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, Mr. Jones launched his own company, Professional Economic
Services, which he managed until 1985, when he transitioned into investing in farms and
commercial properties in Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma; and
WHEREAS, Charles Jones returned to Tennessee in 1990 and began purchasing
historic properties in Nashville, including the St. Bernard's convent building and the Werthan
Bag Factory; he repurposed the former Macy's building and traded it for the Memorial Hospital
property at Due West Towers, in addition to becoming an integral part of the restoration of the
historic Milky Way Farm; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his business success, Mr. Jones has profoundly impacted the
lives of countless individuals through his mentorship, counseling, and philanthropic efforts; and
WHEREAS, Charles Jones epitomizes the spirit and commitment that are characteristic
of a true Tennessean; and
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WHEREAS, we find it appropriate to acknowledge and applaud Mr. Jones for his
dedication to the State of Tennessee and its citizens; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE , THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Charles Robert Jones for his lifetime of service to
his community and the State of Tennessee, extending our best wishes for much continued
success in all his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.