The family of Dr. Stan Jones, a beloved Cleveland dentist and former mayor who passed away on July 6 at the age of 84, was given a very special gift on Thursday. The gift was a congressional citation and a U.S. flag that had been flown over the U.S. Capitol. It was a tribute to a man who made a positive impact by serving the Cleveland area for most of his adult life.
His family members accepted the gifts that were delivered to their home by Will Carter with the office of U.S. Rep. Brian Babin.
Babin and Jones were friends and colleagues, both working as dentists in their own communities. Prior to joining Congress, Dr. Babin was a dentist in his community of Woodville.
During Carter’s visit with the Joneses, Gloria Jones, Stan’s widow, explained how the two of them moved to Cleveland in 1964, right after he completed dental school. At the time, the Vietnam War was raging on. Stan tried to enlist in military service, but was denied.
“When he got out of dental school, that was during the draft, and so he didn’t want to get a lot of bank notes and things for equipment for his practice and then be drafted, so he went and tried to join the military. They told him they didn’t need any dentists at the time. They had all they needed. He was told that as long as he stayed in Cleveland and continued to work as a dentist, they would not draft him,” Gloria said. “We love Cleveland and would have stayed here anyway. Later on, they decided to draft him and the kids at Cleveland High School, unbeknownst to us, started a ‘Keep Our Dentist in Town’ petition because he was the only dentist in town at the time. Stan went down to the draft office, took his physical and everything, and got really close to be drafted, but then didn’t have to go.”
Dr. Jones, she explained, was very patriotic and would have served his country with pride, but those in charge thought his community was better served with him providing dental care, so once again he was allowed to remain in Cleveland. The Joneses’ son, Dr. Scott Jones, is continuing Dr. Stan Jones’ legacy today by serving as a local dentist in the Cleveland area.
According to his obituary, prepared by his family, “Beyond dentistry, Dr. Jones was an entrepreneur at heart and involved himself in various community endeavors.”
“Jones started a community fitness center, Cleveland Pride, and co-owned a saw mill. He coached Little League, served as a Boy Scout Troop Leader, and was a dedicated member of Cleveland Methodist Church. He was elected Mayor of North Cleveland in 1973-1975. He made a difference through his involvement in organizations such as the Lions Club, the Cleveland Senior Center Board, and served on the Board of Directors for Cleveland Bank & Trust. He was elected to Cleveland ISD School Board for many years and served as Board President in 1973-1975. Dr. Jones also served on the Cleveland City Council for several years and was elected Mayor of Cleveland 1989- 1991,” his obituary states.
With other pressing matters to attend to in Washington, D.C., Rep. Babin was unable to attend the presentation of the flag and certificate to Jones’ family. However, he provided the following statement:
“Dr. Stan Jones was a dear friend, fellow dentist and great American. He will be greatly missed. I appreciate his many years of service as mayor of Cleveland and North Cleveland, and pray for his outstanding family – Gloria, his wife of 64 years, and their three sons, Mark, Matt and Scott.”
Very sorry to hear of Stan’s passing. He was always very kind to me when we saw him and my prayers are with your entire family.