Processing Note: Processed by archives technician Maia Patten in 2013, with the assistance of archivist Rachael Cristine Woody.

Biographical Note: Robert E. Jones was born January 14, 1923, in Yonkers, New York, and attended Oberlin College in Ohio before joining the army. He studied at the University of Connecticut in electrical engineering and was deployed to Germany in the spring of 1945. During the war, Jones was stationed primarily in Germany. While there he worked as a radio operator and maintenance man and achieved the rank of Technician Fourth Grade. He was discharged from service in April 1946.

While in the army, Jones took German communications courses for credit from both Oberlin College and the University of Michigan. After returning to the United States, Jones finished his schooling and received his undergraduate degree at Oberlin before going on to receive a Masters in Physics at Michigan in 1949 and a P.H.D. in Physics at Penn State in 1953. Before beginning his teaching career at Linfield College in 1955, Jones taught Physics and led research at Penn State. While at Linfield, Jones received tenure, occasionally served as the head of the Physics department and officially retired in 1987.

Jones was married three times in his life. He was married to his first wife, Eleanor Jameson, from 1948 until her death in 1989. They had two children: Richard (b. 1953) and Paul (b. 1955). After Eleanor’s death, Jones was married to Opal Ware in 1992 until her death in 1993. In 1996, Jones married Mariam (Mim) Trumbo and they remained married until her death in 2009. Bob Jones died on April 22, 2010.

(Information about Jones’ marriages and post-graduate degrees were found in his obituary, written by Macy & Son Funeral Directors.)

Preferred Citation: Bob Jones Papers. Jereld R. Nicholson Library. Linfield University, McMinnville, Oregon. Gift of Paul Jones, June 13, 2013.

Summary: This collection largely reflects the life of Dr. Robert E. Jones during his years in the United States Army and provides a glimpse of his later life as an academic. The majority of this collection contains letters and photographs from his time in the Army, but also includes military and professional documents and his military jacket.

Digital items selected to highlight the collection are available here: http://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/lca_bobjones/. Collection items available in the digital repository can include documents, photographs and/or oral history interviews.