It is my Grandpa Jones’s 92nd birthday. As soon as we walked in the door to visit, he queried, “So, Amy, did you write about me on your blog today?” How many can say that their 92-year-old grandpa reads their blog? It makes me smile & feel quite blessed. Mandi & I alternately refereed the kids as we sat down to discover 92 things about this man we love as Grandpa. An amazing way to spend an afternoon.
1. Paul Lafayette Jones was born in Lehi, Arizona, on February 26, 1915.
2. It was his parents’ wedding anniversary.
3. A few years ago he realized that his birth certificate states a birth date of January 26th instead.
4. We know his mother never would have forgotten her anniversary baby’s birth date, so lay the blame on other unknown shoulders.
5. He was severely burned at 22 months old.
6. His mother had been outside heating laundry water over a fire (I can no longer complain about laundry duties). He fell into the flames, badly burning the entire right side of his body.
7. He is one of four brothers.
8. The four have golfed together once a week for about 50 years.
9. A month ago he made a hole in one.
10. He Loves to talk golf, football (ASU!), basketball, baseball…Sports!
11. He broke his finger in high school playing softball. It is still bent today.
12. Education was always very important to him.
13. He graduated from Mesa High in 1931. He played varsity basketball there from 1930-1931.
14. He graduated from BYU in 1940. He came to my BYU graduation in 1995, absolutely thrilled that we shared this alma mater.
15. He earned his Masters Degree from ASU in 1952.
16. He became an elementary school principal in 1954.
17. Paddles were still used for behavior problems at that time.
18. Two of his daughters became teachers.
19. One of his granddaughters (me!) followed their lead.
20. Somewhere along the line of his schooling, he managed to skip two grades and started high school when he was 12.
21. He played football for Mesa High in 1930 at 15.
22. A huge sports fan, he now speaks of this with frustration. Oh, what he could have done with two more years of age and bulk!
23. Thus, he graduated at 16.
24. He was in a serious car accident on Mesa Drive & Main (for all the Mesa people out there) in 1937. His friend was driving. The car was totaled.
25. His first car was a ’35 Ford Coup. “Boy that was a beautiful car.”
26. It had 5000 miles on it, and he bought it from his boss for $500.
27. His second car (below) was a 1937 Plymouth, purchased for $700. Is he wearing white shoes there? Fancy.
28. He now has great car love for his Buick.
29. He has hundreds of friends and is famous for finding “connections” with complete strangers.
30. He joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot.
31. After passing all of the requirements, he was disappointed that being color blind prevented him from flying.
32. One of his good friends did make it through, became a pilot, was sent to the South Pacific and shot down a month later. Grandpa now looks back with gratitude for what at first was disappointment.
33. He went to Officer Candidate School from November 1942 to January 1943, then received a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force.
34. He got married in Phoenix on April 6, 1943, to Mary Allen.
35. She lived with roommates across the street from him and his brothers in Phoenix.
36. She says he and his brothers would be playing ball, and the ball would “accidentally” end up on their porch quite frequently.
37. I say, likely story.
38. One of her roommates married his younger brother.
39. He remembers the first time he saw Mary walking down the street…”such a pretty gal”.
40. They have been married for 64 years.
41. They honeymooned in Phoenix at the Desert Breeze and Westward Ho, two nice hotels of the day. They dined out and enjoyed time alone for four days.
42. After becoming an Air Force officer, he was assigned to the air base in Hobbs, New Mexico just weeks after they got married.
43. He could not find a place for them to live at first, so they spent some time at a Boarding House/Hotel, where there was one big hallway lined with countless one-room newlywed suites. They later moved into a duplex in Lovington.
44. Hobbs was a training command for pilots. There were 50 to 75 B-17 airplanes there.
45. Jimmy Stewart was trained at Hobbs.
46. One day a secretary came and asked “Leuitenant Jones” to please come fill out the papers for Mr. Stewart. She was far too embarrassed to face the movie star.
47. Grandpa played catcher for the commanding officers softball team.
48. They flied all over the West in B-17’s to play games. This makes me laugh. I love this fact, because I've never imagined the planes being used to transport softball teams during the war. A funny tid-bit.
49. “We were pretty good.”
50. At Hobbs he was 2nd in command of 500 black soldiers.
51. When he was promoted, he had the task of taking a troop of black soldiers to Tampa, Florida.
52. They filled two Pullman cars of a train and headed off.
53. This was a little tricky because of segregation laws of the day. These soldiers were not allowed in most restaurants or stores.
54. They had a 10 hour layover in Houston, and an 8 hour layover in New Orleans.
55. At each spot he had to go get some of the soldiers out of jail.
56. In August 1945 he shipped out from Pier 88 in New York on the U.S.S. General Muir.
57. The Queen Elizabeth was docked right next to them.
58. They did not know where they were headed.
59. 5 days later was VJ day.
60. Their ship sailed through the Mediterranean, Suez Canal & Red Sea to Calcutta, India.
61. He was about 45 miles outside of Calcutta at a replacement depot for a year.
62. He lived in a tent, but one of the nice ones with boards on the floor.
63. By the last 4-5 months of his command, he was promoted to Captain, commanding officer of the company.
64. Grandma says they wrote daily.
65. He says it wasn’t that often.
66. Did I say that they are insanely in love?
67. She still has some of the letters.
68. I hope to read them some day.
69. He crossed the Atlantic on his way to India, but came home crossing the Pacific on the Marine Cardinal.
70. Who can say they’ve circled the globe on a ship?
71. He remembers the ship coming in under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
72. He came home to his wife and their first daughter, Laraine.
73. He stayed in the reserves for over 20 years, finally retiring completely from the military as a Leuitenant Colonel (just steps away from 4 star general, I'm told :)..) at 60, in 1975.
74. Grandma and Grandpa have seven children.
75. Two summers ago, they all went on a cruise to Alaska together.
76. In the early ‘50’s he bought a lot outside of Payson (near Christopher Creek) from the daughter of one of his teachers.
77. Over the next three years he and his brother, with their families, built a cabin on that lot.
78. He remembers hauling materials in his ’54 Chevy pick-up.
79. They spent all of their summers there.
80. Many of my favorite childhood memories are summers at the Cabin.
81. There was magic crafted in with all the hand-hewn wood. Of this, I’m sure.
82. They now summer at “the Lodge” in Pinetop, a lovely, serene haven.
83. Grandpa had a heart attack at 50, at the cabin.
84. He has had no heart trouble since.
85. After his heart attack, he stopped refereeing. He and his brother Earl refereed high school football and basketball for 15 years, and were often requested for the big tournaments and state championship games.
86. Grandma and grandpa have traveled all over the United States together. They love nature and have taken hundreds of beautiful pictures. This one is the Grand Tetons...the current background on his computer. I want to jump in.
87. They have visited Yellowstone at least 20 times.
88. Much of this travel was done in the Dolphin, the sacred vehicle that none of us were ever allowed to drive.
89. They served a mission in Washington D.C. from 1983 to 1984, working mainly with Asian people in the area.
90. They still hear from some of the people they worked with there over 20 years ago.
91. Grandma made a beautiful pineapple upside down cake, his favorite, today.
92. I love my grandpa and can clearly remember sitting on his lap as a child, on the chair by the window at the house on Rovey, singing “Little Purple Pansies” and “As I Have Loved You.” I never hear those songs without thinking of him. I never sing them to my boys without talking about him.
Happy, Happy Birthday!
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 11:49PM 
