E. Holman Jones

Jones was born in Oakdale, a city in Allen Parish in southwestern Louisiana, the older son of the late Jessie Holman Jones and the former Maggie Williams. His brother, John Roland Jones, preceded him in death. Jones was a descendant of the Thomas Welch family, one of the first seven families to settle Oakdale and to establish the First Baptist Church there. Jones graduated from Oakdale High School, where he played on the football team and was a captain in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was later the president of the alumni association. He was a radioman in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he attended what is now Sowela Technical Community College in Lake Charles.[2]

For more than a half-century, Jones owned Magnolia Printing Company. For fifteen years, he was the publisher and owner of the Oakdale Journal and the Oakdale Beacon, which he began in 1960 with Harold H. Hudgins, Jr. (1916-2000),[3] as a free publication offering parish news and local advertising.[2][4]

In his one legislative term, Jones served alongside his fellow Democrat Buddy Leach, then of Leesville in Vernon Parish, who was from 1979 to 1981 a member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th congressional district.[1] Representative Jones secured scholarships for many students in Allen Parish, promoted the development of rural infrastructure through his service on the Long Range Highway Committee, and worked to secure the establishment of the 33rd Judicial District Court.[2]

Jones was a former member of the Jaycees and an officer of the Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce. He was affiliated with Lions International and the Masonic lodge. He was a member of the Oakdale Industrial Development Board. He was a long-term president of the Oakdale Recreation District board of directors. During his tenure in that capacity, two swimming pools and three ball fields were built and maintained. Teams often went to district and state playoffs.[2]

In 2000, Jones received the "Civic Service Award" from the Oakdale Area Chamber of Commerce. In 1992, he obtained the "State School Bell Award" from the Louisiana Press Association for the promotion of educational excellence. In 1999, he received the "Sam Walton Business Leader Award" named for Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Jones and his wife together received the "Community Award for Outstanding Support" for the Allen Parish Sheriff's Department.[2]

Jones died at age 87 in Lafayette General Hospital, Lafayette, Louisiana. He was married for more than 60 years to the former Patricia Roberts (born 1930), who survives him, along with their five children.[2]