Larry Jones died on January 22, 2025 in Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife Shelley by his side. He was the proud grandson and namesake of Lawrence C. Jones I, whose name is still spoken with reverence in the African American community for founding the Piney Woods Country Life School in 1909, one of the first coeducational boarding schools for Black children.
The white community had a different reaction. A lynch mob was sent to kill him. With the rope around his neck, he talked calmly to them about Piney Woods; and they were so moved, they not only spared his life, they dug into their own pockets to raise money for the school.
Larry was always conscious of that legacy and decided to enter a life of public service. In 1968 he became an Associate Member of the American Society of Planning Officials and the American Institute of Planners while serving as Director of the State Office of Model Cities for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He also helped manage the “Big Dig,” a megaproject to bury Boston’s main highways. Then he moved to New York to work for Mayor John Lindsay ’44.
Throughout his long career as a public servant, and briefly as an executive in the private sector, Larry’s intellect and nuanced analytical skills were tempered by a healthy dollop of his amusing outlook on life, which endeared him to both colleagues and opponents. Wherever he went, he was respected for his unwavering integrity even if it was to his own detriment.
After retiring, he embarked on a final project that was probably closest to his heart. He and his wife Shelley moved to Mississippi to save the Piney Woods School, which had fallen on hard times. He served for many years on the Board of Directors, always guided by his grandfather’s motto, “Give them a tiny little chance.”
“He was a funny, fun, generous, genuine guy,” says Frank Best. “My favorite memory of him is my last: his destination wedding in New Orleans, with deep-fried whole turkey, crawfish boil, the works – and best of all, Larry, a joyful, dear friend.”