 the program. I'm gonna move out because that light is quite bright. Thank you all so much for coming out. I know I got a lot of emails Kenya and Ms. Hinton and I got a lot of emails about having a program and so we wanted to make sure we took time out to honor the giant that was Dr. Kenneth L. Jones and so I am the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs here at ECSU and so we're going to begin by having a solar by Ms. Jacinta Dillard followed by reflections by Shanee Hamilton a student and Dr. Colby Roy the Dean. Ms. Dillard. Continue to let me shine this year with a step by step with a bow. Want you to know that I know the truth of course I know the truth of course I know the truth of course once in a lifetime Dr. Jones was one of them and he was definitely one of a kind. Dr. Jones was very particular about how he wanted you to do his work. He will tell you quick he does not care how much noble paper you use for his class and do not dare write on the back of the paper. Yes I wrote on the back of the paper and he took some points off so I learned not to do that anymore. Dr. Jones was a regular name in my household. I always talked about him to my parents and my friends and how he just maybe wanted to push myself more to succeed. If you ever had a class with Dr. Jones I'm sure you have heard the infamous line beautiful mathematics. The excitement he would get in teaching mathematics made it very beautiful. During the four years I had Dr. Jones as a professor. He taught me in ten different classes. I was amazed at how much Dr. Jones knew and the love he truly had for this subject. Dr. Jones is the reason I am going to get my master's right now and I wish he would be here to see me in the fall but I know he'll be lucky as I walk across the stage. I always would say that I hope I'm a student that he never forgets because he will always be the teacher that I will never forget. I am so thankful to have known such a dream with person and he will be missed tremendously. Thank you. I just want to make a confession that this is the first time I've been asked to say something for someone but you know we're not talking about just someone here. We're talking about Dr. Kenneth Lee Jones. For some people it could be Kenny, Kenneth, Ken, maybe Lee or Jones but for me he was Dr. Jones so I used to call him Dr. Jones. I found Dr. Jones a dedicated instructor for his students. He always kept real with students. He wanted to make sure the students are prepared for the real world and he showed that in his teaching in his classroom interaction with students. I have known Dr. Jones since his arrival on campus 2010 so you know having worked with him for so long first when I was chair of department technology work closely with him and then as my role as the dean work closely with him. One thing I admired Dr. Jones was he was a lifelong learner okay he was a lifelong learner and of course mathematics was his first love passion he loved teaching mathematics but he kept himself abreast of new knowledge all the time. I was surprised to know that he had a degree in engineering and the way I found out was because I submitted a document to him and he came to he came and asked me how did I know that professor from NC State. I think the professor actually wrote a letter of support for me and I said yeah I know him you know I know him well because I have worked with him and then he said he was his advisor and that was NC State Department of Mechanical Aerospace Engineering. I said how come he was an advisor? He said yeah he did masters there in engineering. Wow he also had masters in information systems okay and he was also pursuing something in data science so he kept himself up to date so that he can impart that knowledge to students. So remembering Dr. Jones I think if we all can embrace that passion for lifelong learning I think that would be the best remembrance for him thank you. We will now have the reading of the obituary by Dr. LaTosha Wayne. Good afternoon colleagues. Kenneth Lee Jones was born on February 16th 1961 to Abraham and Core Price Jones and departed this life on April 4th 2023. He was a 1979 graduate of Hopton High School in Clinton North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics the minor in Physics in 1982 and a Master's in Science Education in 1988 from Campbell University. He later went on to earn a PhD in applied mathematics with a minor in applied statistics from American University in 1977 where he studied the existence of periodic traveling wave solutions in partial differential equations. Dr. Jones also received a Masters of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2006 and an MBA in computer information systems from Strayer University in 2012. He recently returned to college and received a Master of Science in Data Science and Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University on December 9th 2022. Dr. Jones began his teaching career in 1982 as a mathematics and science teacher at Midway High School in Clinton North Carolina. He later taught at Samson Community College as an instructor of related subjects from 1983 to 1991 and as an instructor of mathematics at Fayetteville State University from 1991 to 1994. While in graduate school at American University in Washington DC Dr. Jones worked as a resource mathematics teacher at Anthony Behyde Elementary School and served as a visiting assistant professor at the University of the District of Columbia Howard University and American University. Dr. Jones returned to FSU in 1997 as an assistant professor of mathematics and later went on to serve as chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science from 1999 to 2001. After leaving FSU he served as chair of the Department of Mathematics and Engineering from 2001 to 2006 and later Dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics from 2006 to 2009 at St. Augustine's College. Throughout his career Dr. Jones served as an adjunct professor at numerous institutions including Shaw University, the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Schraer University, Tidewater Community College and St. Leo University. Dr. Jones joined Elizabeth City State University in 2010 as a professor of mathematics. While at ECSU he served as a graduate professor and coordinator for the MS in Mathematics program. He later served as chair of the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering Technology from 2016 to 2021. Dr. Jones served as a thesis advisor to over 15 graduate students and was a thesis committee member for more than 30 students. Dr. Jones served on numerous university committees including the University Curriculum Committee, Faculty Credentials Committee, Academic Affairs Assessment Committee, Graduate Council and the UNC System Mathematics Pathways Task Force. Dr. Jones was a lifetime member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated and served for many years as the campus advisor for the Gamma Road Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated at ECSU. He was dedicated to sharing his love of mathematics beyond the campus of ECSU and served as a mathematics and science counselor at River City Community Development Corporation and a mathematics tutor at the Mount Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church in Elizabeth City. Dr. Jones loved traveling, fine dining, especially Thai food, the Golden State Warriors and beautiful mathematics. Dr. Jones died the way he lived, fiercely independent and doing it on his own terms. Thank you. Well I know I'm next on the program but I know that several people came a long way and so I will open it up just for two minute remarks by anyone who wanted to give any. I know my first individual who I am coming all the way from Brooklyn, New York so I'll give it over to him. Greenman said we definitely want to give special things to Dr. Ward. I always in my mind the first thing I call you is Dr. Chandler because that's how we met Dr. Payne and to all that are here. Dr. Jones and I met in 2010. Dr. Chandler as I knew her at that time was our teacher over the summer and then I was like she's great you know she said I should even be a math major. I was like no chemistry is gonna be a thing but we'll get back to it and the next semester she was actually supposed to be our teacher but then I said who is this man named. I sent her email and everything like this was not according to the plan this is not what we agreed to or any of those things but it all worked out. Personally I will say that he was a father figure and February 17, 2011 my mother died February 20 if we had a funeral he was sitting there at the church. October 17, 2014 my grandmother died and the 25th he was also sitting at the church. Beyond that he would talk to me about my PhD program and what I was doing and called me son and we shared a lot of time together went a lot of places together and definitely enjoy a lot of great food but most importantly I will say one of our fondest memories was March 23, 2011 I walked into his class and I had on my probate vest. I was on time which meant that I was late and class had already started and he was like oh son you did this because him and our area director closed it was from the same town and he didn't let him know that me and my line brother my 12 Jimmy tell us it was actually in class together. So what did he do? He said class we now have a pop quiz far from my line number and then my 12 walked in. So we had a 12 question quiz and for that day he stopped the lesson but it was all in fun all in love and he will definitely be missed I do not say that lightly but most importantly he will continue to live on through all of his memories through all of his work and I had a slight challenge accepting the fact that he said don't do anything and I knew that and then I said that does sound like him because that's also me I've already provided director just place me where they know that they need to place me in life will be great but I thank you all for having this just due to the outpouring his life spoke for itself and we're here to celebrate his life although he was definitely a humble one and will probably pop me upside my head being here but with that being said I will pass the mic back to Dr. Chandler thank you so much oh Dr. Ward my apology thank you so much Ryan I'm gonna say anyone else that wonder oh yes I will say that Ryan is right Dr. Jones gave us very specific directions and the sentence will tell you you know maybe it's a little much but you know Dr. Jones was cremated he told us how he wanted his ashes dispersed and so he was very specific with us we had we knew exactly what his wishes were and we will be honoring his wishes thank you okay my name is Eunice I had Dr. Jones for graduate school myself and also Joel he was an excellent teacher there are a lot of memories of him but he was by far one of my favorite teachers I mean regular public school and then also college like the speaker said earlier beautiful mathematics and all of his gestures and just the way that he led his class it's like he was tough on us but he showed us like fatherly love so Dr. Jones is just a great person and he is truly gonna be missed and he is someone who just really set the example and led by an example great example so I just wanted to get up and just say that you know he was just so instrumental to me and as a mathematics major and also as a mathematics teacher thank you all right is there anyone else all right well I guess it's me I'm the last one so I don't want to get behind the light cuz I want you to be able to see me you know when I decided to put this one word together again against his wishes sorry but you know I really debated about whether or not I was gonna speak initially I thought I wouldn't I would just sit and have reflections but then I realized I couldn't not speak about such a phenomenal man you know as a mathematician I know a lot of brilliant mathematicians I really do but if anybody to ask me you know what person exemplifies mathematics I wouldn't even take a second guess a minute Dr. Kenneth L. Jones he is mathematics he loved mathematics it was really his true calling it was his first love he dated other people you know physics and chemistry and management but it's clear who his actual original number one was and that was mathematics you could find him any day of the week whether it was a 10 a.m. or a Sunday with a group of graduate students helping them at 2 p.m. he would probably be in Lane Hall define any kind of rules about what time you supposed to be in Lane Hall helping students that's where he was you know one thing that is very interesting a ECSU and faculty will know this everyone has a teaching load that they're supposed to teach every single semester and occasionally we have the situations where for whatever reason we may need a faculty to teach more than their standard teaching load and so we usually go to a faculty member cross our fingers and say you know can you please teach an overload class this was the complete opposite with dr. Jones dr. Jones would volunteer to teach more classes in fact we actually had a little situation we were undergoing sacks reaffirmation which is our accrediting agency we had to look at all the teaching levels of faculty and dr. Payne and I was looking at the sheet and dr. Jones had taught too many classes and made us out of compliance and so we looked at each other and said we are out of compliance this is a real issue and we actually had to get dr. a lot to write a letter saying that dr. Jones voluntarily taught more classes than he was supposed to and we had to include that in our reaffirmation report because he loved mathematics that much you know during my time as department chair of dr. Jones ECSU had ranked in the top 10 nationally for graduating the largest number of African-American so it was undergraduate degrees in mathematics and we were actually one time the number one institution in the country now HBCU the number one institution in the country for graduating the largest number of African-Americans with master's degrees in mathematics when I was looking at his memorial page someone from federal State University reported that when he was at federal state they actually were ranked at one time number one for graduating the largest number of African-American students in the country that's no coincidence that is absolutely no coincidence dr. Jones loved mathematics he was a mathematical magnet if you met him he would convince you that you love mathematics that the pen and I often joke we were department chairs together she was over there in biology we were over in mathematics dr. Jones and I used to switch her biology majors to math majors after lying rather he almost got I think we get you a minor man we got in a minor we knew that math man we could come Dr. Jones could convince you he could convince you that mathematics was your goal he switched so many computer science majors to double majors in mathematics that's how we got our members up because he will convince them that they should be mathematics majors and they just follow along they really just follow along his students consistently say the same thing about him he was going to be on his A game in every single class he was going to make sure their hand hurt by the end of class because he was going to go from one board all the way to another board and back three or four times they would come out there and hand was hurting he was going to push them beyond their expectations but they were going to learn so much consistently that's what students said and most of all and Chanel Chanel already said that he was going to let you know that mathematics was beautiful and he would convince them even if they came in hate mad when they left they were on 11 on a personal note dr. Jones was so much more than a colleague to me he was a trusted friend and confidant he always wanted me to succeed 10 years ago one of my former students she set up a recording in my room I didn't know about it and recorded me for 30 minutes that's a whole other story I tell you I one day but in the video it records interactions between me and dr. Jones I still have it it's from 10 years ago I watched it twice already in the last week and you see dr. Jones come in to talk to me and I just come back from a two-hour meeting and I'm hot and I'm telling dr. Jones all the things they went on and he's just sitting there listening to me encouraging me giving me advice and I am free myself I know everything I say is not gonna leave the room I'm speaking freely and he is there to support me I did not ever worry about anything I said to dr. Jones being repeated and I knew he would never hesitate to tell me if I was wrong people sometimes think friends mean that they agree with everything you say that's not what a friend is they will tell you and dr. Jones would tell me we would not always agree now to get him to tell you now but he was a true confidant colleagues and friends and I will never take that for granted dr. Jones was so generous and love to put a smile on your face during Christmas Valentine's Day and birthdays he went out of his way to make sure he got you exactly what you wanted or what he wanted you to have so much and I was sometimes drop a hint to her because I knew he was going to ask her what I wanted for Christmas and I would give it I have three person actually the person I have a man this person that you will see me carry every to meeting dr. Jones with this and I have two other ones in my office that I often carry dr. Jones body he was showing a new iPhone he bought me a iPhone tag you know you put it in your I mean no it was and remember how he put my initials on it it has my initials because he wanted me to have it that's the type of person dr. Jones was me and Ms. Haddon had to work harder to surprise him for his gifts but he always got us personalized things I'm sending my mother campus I'm forever grateful that I had an opportunity to firsthand witness dr. Jones love for mathematics and his true dedication to his students I mean seeing you all here is you know just unbelievable because I remember those times and again dr. Jones pushed and wanted to see each and every one of you succeed he was proud as if you were his own he made me a better mathematician a better administrator and a better person I so deeply loved him and we miss him dearly but I'm forever grateful for his friendship and all that he taught me thank you so much so we will have refreshments one thing that you know we were working on is setting up something in his honor so again in little flowers if you would like please donate to the dark mathematics and computer science fun thank you so much for coming