Gerald Denison Jones Papers
Known among his peers for his wit, “Gerry” Jones was an active presence on campus as Secretary and Treasurer for the class of 1903, and as a member of the QTV Fraternity, the staff of the Index, and the class football and baseball teams. Jones went on to become a well-respected figure in the Amherst community, serving on the board of investment for the Amherst Savings Bank during the mid-1930s and as a representative to the General Court from Hampshire County.
The papers of Gerry Jones contain a mix of ephemera dating from his days as one an active member of the MAC Class of 1903. Beginning with a fine record book documenting meetings of the class from their freshman year through graduation, the collection includes menus, programs, and dance cards related to class events. Of particular interest is a menu from the first football banquet in 1902, celebrating one of the most successful teams of the MAC era, the one-loss team of 1901.
Born in Hansport, Nova Scotia, on August 24, 1878, Gerald Denison Jones graduated from the Framingham High School and Academy (1899) before entering the Massachusetts Agricultural College with the class of 1903. Known by his peers for his wit, “Gerry” Jones was an active presence on campus as class Secretary and Treasurer and as a member of the QTV Fraternity, the staff of the Index, and the class football and baseball teams.
Shortly after graduation, Jones began work as a foreman on a local onion farm owned by Walter D. Cowls, soon becoming his superintendent of trucking. In June 1907, he married Cowls’ daughter Sarah, and thereafter joined his father-in-law in his various enterprises, which included substantial lumbering, farming, and realty interests. Jones became a well-respected figure in the Amherst community, serving on the board of investment for the Amherst Savings Bank during the mid-1930s and as a representative to the General Court from Hampshire County. Active in civic and church affairs, he supported both St. Andrews Episcopal Church in North Amherst and the North Congregational Church for many years and was a member of the Pacific Masonic Lodge in Amherst. At the time of his death on April 21, 1968, Jones was president of W.D. Cowls, Inc.
Contents of Collection
The papers of Gerry Jones contain a mix of ephemera dating from his days as one of the most active members of the MAC Class of 1903. Beginning with a fine record book documenting meetings of the class from their freshman year through graduation, the collection includes menus, programs, and dance cards related to class events. Of particular interest is a menu from the first football banquet in 1902, celebrating one of the most successful teams of the MAC era, going 8-1 during the fall 1901. The collection also includes photographs of what appears to be an early student protest and of three members of the football team, brief class notes from courses taken by Jones in 1903 on entomology (presumably taught by Charles Fernald) and physiological botany, and some banners, bunting, and other fabric signs, probably related to an early reunion of the Class of 1903.
| Associate Alumni of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, letter to class secretaries | 1926 Apr. 14 | Box 1:1 | |
| Jones, Gerald Denison: biographical information | 1903-1968 | Box 1:2 | |
| Jones, Gerald Denison: class notes for entomology and experiments in physiological botany | 1903 | 2 items | Box 1:3 |
| Jones, Gerald Denison: personal accounts | 1897 | Box 1:4 | |
| Manual of Arms Adapted to the Springfield Rifle, Caliber .45 and to the Magazine Rifle, Caliber .30. New York: Army and Navy Journal | 1897 | Box 1:5 | |
| Massachusetts Agricultural College Class of 1903 25th Reunion Program | 1923 June 8-10 | Box 1:6 | |
| Massachusetts Agricultural College Class of 1903 Record book | 1899-1903 | Box 1:7 | |
| Massachusetts Agricultural College Class of 1903, History of the Class of 1903 Prepared for Their First Reunion [Amherst, Mass.] | 1906 | Box 1:8 | |
| Massachusetts Agricultural College ephemera: Commencement program 1903; Senior banquet menu, 1903; Senior Promenade dance card, 1903; Commencement program 1916 | 1903-1916 | 4 items | Box 1:9 |
| Massachusetts Agricultural College: First Annual Foot-ball Banquet menu | 1902 Jan. 24 | Box 1:10 | |
| Massachusetts Collegian, vol 26: 1 and vol. 28:18 | 1915, 1918 | 2 issues | Box 1:11 |
| Photographs | 1903 | 2 items | Box 1:12 |
| Student protest (?) with pickets | ca.1903 | ||
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| Chet Whitaker, Bill Munson, Chick Lewis (football players) | ca.1903 | ||
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| Reserve Officer Training Corps Horse Show: Fifth Annual Spring Horse Show Program (1926) and ROTC Horse Show Ribbon (1928) | 1926-1928 | 2 items | Box 1:13 |
| Patriotic bunting | ca.1903 | 3 items | Box 1 |
| “1903 Headquarters”: large banner, possibly from a later reunion | ca.1903 | Box 2 | |
| “’03” bibs: possibly from a later reunion | ca.1903 | 11 items | Box 2 |
Provenance
Acquired from Paul C. Jones, May 2001 (2001-024).
Processing Information
Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, June 2102.
Copyright and Use (More information
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Cite as: Gerald Denison Jones Papers (RG 50 J6647). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.