Obituaries

Rowena J. Adams Jones, former associate director of residence life who has a student assistance center named in her honor in the Governors Residential Complex, died on March 22. She was 96.

Born in Johnstown, Pa., Jones attended the University of Pittsburgh campuses in Johnstown and Pittsburgh. An honor student, she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1950.

After working for the government in Albany, Jones moved to Buffalo and earned a master’s degree from UB. She joined the UB staff in 1969, becoming assistant to the director of off-campus housing. She also worked in administrative posts in the Office of Student Affairs.

During her 26-year career at UB, Jones led the establishment of three student centers, and was a leader in the UB Minority Faculty and Staff Association.

She last visited the Rowena Adams Jones Center in Governors in November, where a plaque says it was dedicated in 2007 “for the enhancement of student academic success.”

Outside of UB, Jones was active in St. Luke AME Zion Church for more than 70 years. She was director of the Christian Education Department, the nursery director, a Sunday school teacher and a member of the Ruby C. Smith Scholarship Committee, Ideal Club, St. Luke Food Pantry and the WHOM (Women’s Home and Overseas Mission) Society.

Jones joined Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 1948 while attending the University of Pittsburgh. She was past president of the sorority’s Gamma Kappa Buffalo Alumnae Chapter and its senior member. For years, she helped organize the chapter’s annual Jabberwock Extravaganza, which raised funds for scholarships.

Jones was an active leader in the Girl Scouts. She worked with the Buffalo and Erie County Girl Scout Council for more than 25 years, serving as a troop leader and holding several committee posts. In the 1970s, she took a group of scouts to Washington, D.C., to meet Rep. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, who also was a Delta Sigma Theta member.

Jones loved music. She sang mezzo soprano in the University of Pittsburgh Choir and played violin with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra.

Jones received numerous awards for contributions to UB and the community, including the award for Outstanding Service to UB, the UB Professional Staff Outstanding Service Award and the SUNY Outstanding Award For Professional Staff, as well as an appreciation award from the Black Student Union. She was also honored with the Buffalo Urban League Community Service Award and was an Uncrowned Community Builder.

A celebration of her life on April 12 featured numerous tributes, including those from Brian Haggerty, residence life director at UB, and Henry-Louis Taylor Jr., director of the UB Center for Urban Studies. Taylor also served as a pallbearer.