June 29, 2026
Reflecting on his life, Jeff Jones ’75 gives all praise and glory to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by whom he was fearfully and wonderfully made and who ordained for him all of his days.
Since he was a child, Jones has been fascinated by trains: the cars, the rails and routes, the opportunities waiting down the track. Fittingly, it was a train adventure that first opened the New Jersey native’s eyes to selfless service.
“I grew up watching my mother working hard to sell World Book Encyclopedias in order to raise the money to take me to California to visit her family each year,” he says. Upon arrival, Jones would watch as his mother continued to serve: supporting her parents, cleaning their home, and taking them on getaways of their own.
“Her selflessness stuck with me,” Jones remembers. That example, further reinforced by his grandfather’s generosity toward neighbors in need, resonated with the young man.
After navigating struggles early in school, Jones transferred to Montclair Academy, where he thrived under the mentorship of remarkable teachers. One, knowing Jones hoped to attend college in the Southeast, put together a list of schools, including a college in Virginia.
It was not Hampden-Sydney.
Fortunately, however, a wise family friend encouraged Jones and his parents to visit Hampden-Sydney during their swing through the South. Jones was struck by the beauty of the campus, its distinctive location, and the classes he attended.
“That was 55 years ago,” Jones says. “And in those 55 years, I have never once regretted my decision to attend Hampden-Sydney.”
On the Hill, Jones found mentors who shaped his mind and life, including freshman advisor Larry Martin of the English department, Professor of Biology Tully Turney, and, above all, Lieutenant Colonel Gus Franke, who taught mathematics and coached the Tiger Golf program.
He also put his mother’s example of service into practice, borrowing a station wagon from the College, recruiting local high school students, and offering weekly Bible study sessions for residents of a nearby nursing home—a service that ultimately garnered a handwritten commendation from first lady Pat Nixon, who wrote, “We are all grateful for your outstanding contribution to expanding and enriching the lives of other people.”
Perhaps the most consequential encounter of Jones’s time at Hampden-Sydney began with a simple hello. Walking down Via Sacra one day, and in keeping with Hampden-Sydney’s speaking tradition, Jones greeted a man working in his yard. It was Gus Franke. That meeting led to a dinner invitation, a mentorship, and an academic path Jones had never expected
“I signed up for Calculus 1 because Gus Franke was teaching it,” Jones recalls. “I did well in that course, so I signed up for the next math course, because he was teaching it. And then I signed up for the next course, because he was teaching it.”
More than five decades later, Jones is still in math class; only now, he’s the teacher. After earning his master’s degree in mathematics from Montclair State University, he built a teaching career that has spanned 51 years. He tried retiring once, soon returned, and is now in his sixth year in the math department at Rutgers University.
Jones credits Franke with preparing him for graduate school and showing him what a teacher can mean in a student’s life. “He saw me as an individual,” Jeff remembers. “He saw potential, and he saw something in me that transcended a gradebook.”
Jones’ visits to Hampden-Sydney were sporadic after graduation, but his 50th reunion year rekindled his connection. In 2025, an invitation to join the Patrick Henry Society and a subsequent opportunity to hear President Larry Stimpert speak in New York City helped draw him back into the life of the College.
Since then, Jones has returned to campus to attend classes, connect with students, cheer on Tiger athletics teams, and even tutor a student in applied calculus. (“He got an A,” Jones says with a grin.)
Now, Jones’ gratitude for Hampden-Sydney and his passion for education have inspired him to endow a scholarship at his alma mater.
“I’d found myself asking, ‘What happens when I’m no longer around?’” Jones shares. “By endowing a scholarship, I’m preparing a way for my legacy to continue, so that when I'm no longer here and able to contribute, a mechanism is in place to benefit students indefinitely. I really like that idea a lot.”
He has also joined the Society of Founders, making annual gifts to support student scholarships and Tiger athletic teams, especially baseball’s Big Hitters Club."
“You have to believe in where you put your money,” Jones adds. “And I believe in Hampden-Sydney.”
For Jones, the motivation is simple: helping future young men access the same kind of education, mentorship, and encouragement that shaped his own life.
“The first student to benefit from this scholarship will be coming to Hampden-Sydney in August of 2027,” Jones says. “And I’ve got to tell you: I cannot wait to meet that young man.”
“Soli Deo gloria,” he adds, a Latin phrase meaning “Glory to God alone.”