Dedication ceremonies for the new Coach J.J. Jones Memorial Park at the former George Clem School on Floral Street will be at noon this Saturday, Nov. 14.
Retired Greeneville Police Captain Bobby Blue said on Tuesday that plans are for several speakers to make brief remarks following an invocation offered by the Rev. C.C. Mills, Jr.
Jones, who was a popular and highly respected local educator, coach, and community leader, died in 1997.
From 1950 to 1965 the building, which faces Floral Street, was the local public school for African-American students from Greeneville and Greene County, and also served as an unofficial community center for the African-American community.
When the local public schools were integrated in 1965, the building became the headquarters building for the Greeneville school system.
The city school system's headquarters continued to be located there until 2007, when the school system offices moved to the Kathryn W. Leonard Administrative Office at the corner of West Depot and Irish streets.
From 1950 until 1965, Coach Jones was a teacher and football coach at George Clem. He also served at one time as principal of the school.
In 1965 he became a member of the faculty and coaching staff at Greeneville High School. He served for 19 years as a teacher, assistant football coach, and guidance counselor at GHS prior to his retirement.
COMMUNITY LEADER
A popular and highly respected figure among local citizens, he played a major role in encouraging positive interracial relationship at the high school and in the community as a whole.
Coach Jones, who died in 1997 at the age of 80, had been honored with a number of sports-related and community-related awards.
