Nora Anne (Metzger) Jones (BS ’86, Environmental Biology) and Jack Raymond Jones (BS ’78 and MS ’82, Mathematics; PhD ’86, Petroleum Engineering) were kindred spirits who met at The University of Tulsa in the early 1980s. They so enjoyed their time at TU that they established an estate gift to provide scholarships for deserving students in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences. The Joneses launched rewarding careers after graduating from TU, and they credited part of their career success to the outstanding education they received while at the university. Nora passed away in 2022.
Jack is an expert in reservoir engineering. He is the co-author of numerous papers and one book, and he has worked over the course of his career for several leading energy industry companies, including NSI Fracturing, BP, and Amoco. He has also served as an instructor for PetroSkills, conducting workshops around the world on reservoir engineering.
Nora used her many skills, in part, to support the exploration of the natural flora in and around Fort Collins, Colorado, where the couple spent much of their time. Nora was an active member of the Colorado Mycological Society, which describes itself as a collection of scientists, naturalists, chefs, writers, artists, gardeners, cultivators, hikers, and admirers of mushrooms who have come together to share their passion for this intriguing fungus. Nora, along with Jack and three other members of the society, was involved in a research project at the Denver Botanic Gardens. These volunteers collected a new species of fungal specimen, locating only the third known species of a rare genus. According to the Denver Botanic Gardens, this finding was unique in that the only other known members of the mushroom identified by Nora and her team are tropical.
While the Joneses’ primary interests were in the scientific realm, this philanthropic couple expressed their loyalty to TU through generous gifts to many departments, including KWGS and McFarlin Library. Nora and Jack also supported the TU Annual Funds for the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering, the Department of Geosciences, and the Tandy School of Computer Science.
The University of Tulsa family appreciates this forward-looking estate gift, called the Jack and Nora Jones Endowed Scholarship for the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences. It will enable future scientists and engineers to explore their world with the same intellectual curiosity demonstrated by this spirited couple.
