The Jones Foundation
Sharon Tidwell, the Executive Director of the Jones Foundation, 
along with Jack Atherton, both Rotary Club members, provided a fascinating history of Walter, Evan and Olive Jones and what lead to the formation of the Jones Trust and the Jones Foundation. Of Welsh ancestry, Walter (1876) and Evan (1880) Jones grew up in Arvonia, Kansas. Walter married Olive, and the three of them created a thriving cattle business in the Flint Hills. Walter was the cattle buyer and seller, while Evan was more hands-on, taking care of the cattle. Olive was a meticulous bookkeeper for the business. Over the years, their thriftiness and business acumen accumulated six sections of the Flint Hills of Kansas and 44,000 acres in Texas, which also ended up producing oil and natural gas. Walter and Evan both died in 1953, and Olive died in 1957. In 1955, Jack Atherton started taking care of probating the estate contested by nephews and nieces. With no children of their own, the Jones' estate was originally designated for kids with polio and for foster care in Osage, Lyon and Coffey counties. Their estate amounted to $19 million in 1955, and was later interpreted to include the medical, educational and recreational needs of children in this same region.
The Jones Trust exists to grant funds to organizations, while the Jones Foundation grants funds to individuals. Since 1995, $30,956,000 has been granted from the Jones Trust to the Jones Foundation. From the Jones Foundation there has been $11,388,000 medical grants and $16,671,000 educational grants to individuals.
What a great story and legacy!