Jones, Butler A.

Butler A. Jones (1916-2003) was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was an educator and sociologist for several Ohio universities. He attended Morehouse College where he earned his A.B. in 1937. At Atlanta University, Jones received his A.M. in 1938 and taught social science at the Laboratory Schools there from 1938 to 1942. Jones was a professor of social science at Talladega College from 1943 to 1952 and a professor of sociology at Ohio Wesleyan University from 1952 to 1969. During this time, Jones earned his Ph.D. from New York University (1955). His last position was at Cleveland State University where he was a professor of sociology from 1969 to 1984. Jones' major sociological research was on the effectiveness of law as a means of social change and his specific focus was on school desegregation litigation in the United States.

Butler A. Jones (1917-2003) was named chairman of the Cleveland State University Sociology Department in 1969 and retired as professor emeritus in 1982. He also taught at Ohio Wesleyan University for seventeen years before coming to Cleveland State University. Jones served as a visiting professor at New York University (NYU), Oberlin College and other colleges, and was a member of 28 professional associations. Jones assumed leadership roles in many of those associations. He founded and served as president of the American Association of Black Sociologists and was chapter president of the American Association of University Professors in three different institutions, including Ohio Wesleyan University. Jones also served as chairperson on numerous committees including the American Sociological Association, North Central Sociological Association, Society for the Study of Social Problems, the Cleveland Music School Settlement, Cleveland Community Action Against Addiction, the Delaware Civil Rights Committee and the Cleveland Federation for Community Planning. In contributing to the quest for equality among races, Jones submitted ten briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court in cases involving equal treatment of all citizens and completed background research for the 1940 Carnegie-Myrdal Study of African Americans. Finally, Jones received numerous honors and awards, including the 1985 Lee Founders Award, the North Central Sociological Association's Professional Service Award, the Cleveland Federation for Community Planning Distinguished Service Award and the Cleveland State University Distinguished Faculty Award for Community Service.