On Friday, April 13, 2012, Chancellor John Morgan will be presenting the TBR Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy to Mrs. Rebecca Jones and her late husband, Jennings A. Jones. This award, established by the Tennessee Board of Regents, is designed to honor those who have given special assistance to a TBR institution and whose leadership and financial assistance have been important to the institution. Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Jones and their family foundation have made more than $1.8 million in gifts to the University. Their contributions have established two Chairs of Excellence, created and supported a K-12 education program, a reading academy, and supported numerous other programs across campus.
It was the Jones’ desire to positively impact future generations of MTSU students and to provide a vital linkage to the community and world in which they lived, that lead Mr. and Mrs. Jones to establish two of MTSU’s first endowed Chairs of Excellence – one in Free Enterprise and the other in Urban and Regional Planning. The two Jones Chairs have allowed MTSU to attract a wide array of academic, government and civic leaders to fill these important and unique educational positions. Other gifts to the University have supported programs of special interest and importance to the Jones’, but all have been in concert with their desire to make the University and their community a better place to live and learn.
Chancellor Morgan will be joined by President Sidney A. McPhee, and members of the University community, in making this presentation. In attendance will be Mrs. Rebecca Jones, family members, The Jones Foundation Board, and representatives of grant recipients from MTSU, Rutherford County Schools, Murfreesboro City Schools, Discovery Center, Read To Succeed, Special Kids, the Chamber of Commerce, and Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess. Mrs. Jones son-in-law, J. Paul Vaughan, will join her in accepting the award, as the retired Managing Director of the Foundation.
Mr. Vaughan will also be recognized next week at Read To Succeed’s annual Volunteer Luncheon.
Rutherford County literacy non-profit Read To Succeed has named J. Paul Vaughan, former director of the Jennings and Rebecca Jones Foundation, the recipient of the Karen Claud Literacy Award. Each year, Read To Succeed honors an outstanding person of the Rutherford County community whose untiring efforts have increased opportunities for citizens to enjoy the written word.
"Paul Vaughan has always made the education of our community his top priority. His work shows that he is committed to furthering our community's residents and adding to their educational opportunities. His work is an inspiration. Paul's enduring commitment to literacy is the exact behavior the Karen Claud Literacy Award was created to honor," said Lisa Mitchell, Read To Succeed Executive Director.
Through the Jennings and Rebecca Jones Foundation, Vaughn has supported educational initiatives in Rutherford County for 26 years. He has helped support new programs and services for students at Middle Tennessee State University, Rutherford County Schools, and Murfreesboro County Schools. Mitchell also said that pre-school age children through adult learners have benefitted from his work at places like the Discovery Center, the YMCA, Special Kids, and Read To Succeed.
Mitchell added that Vaughan has a “faith in the power of people to make a difference in the lives of others, nurturing literacy and educational programs now considered ‘institutions’ in our community.”
This award was created by the Read To Succeed Council in December 2006 to honor Karen Claud. Claud worked as Administrative Assistant for Read To Succeed from September 2003 through the fall of 2004. She then created and directed the Read To Succeed Adult Literacy Program, managing a large community council and recruiting and training volunteers to teach adult learners. In December 2006, Claud was called upon, without notice, to assume the responsibilities of Executive Director for Read To Succeed. She assumed the new responsibilities with no hesitation and with full commitment to the initiative. With minimal regard for her own needs, Claud worked tirelessly and professionally at all times to administer two large literacy councils, manage numerous events and programs, and even begin new projects. Her eye was always on creating literacy opportunities in the community.
Past winners include John Key of Community Servants, Murfreesboro City School’s Dr. Linda Gilbert, Mr. Cliff Sharp of Greenhouse Ministries, and MTSU’s Dr. Mary Tom Berry (retired.)