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Benefactor Paul Jones addresses ’Bama grads
4:28 p.m., Sept. 6, 2006--University of Delaware benefactor Paul R. Jones, whose Paul R. Jones Collection of works by 20th-century African-American artists is one of the world's oldest, largest and most complete such compilations, was the summer commencement speaker at the University of Alabama on Aug. 12. Jones, who was born and reared in Alabama and now lives in Atlanta, spoke to the 1,100 graduates about the profound changes in American culture over the past 25 years. “Some 20 years ago, we could not imagine a mother having to drink from her baby's bottle to prove to airport security that its contents were in fact milk. Nor could we imagine high school students in peaceful bedroom communities across the nation being murdered by fellow students, or the New York skyline without the Twin Towers,” Jones, who also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters during the ceremony, said. “We not only live in different times but we are different in these times,” Jones said. “The role you graduates will play in the world will be different after today. But when knowledge and service are joined together with understanding, then great things can happen for you.” Jones' art collection of more than 1,500 pieces includes sculptures, paintings and photographs by artists such as Charles White, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Selma Burke, David Driskell and Herman "Kofi" Bailey. Jones was recognized by Art and Antiques magazine as one of the top 100 collectors in the United States and has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change Outstanding Community Service Award, three Meritorious Awards from the Southern Conference of Black Mayors, the James VanDerZee Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, and an honorary degree from the University of Delaware. At UD, the Paul R. Jones Collection is housed in the recently renovated Mechanical Hall galleries. Photo by Kevin Quinlan |
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