Alumni Profile
Jeffrey Jones ’80 and wife, Suzann, create a legacy for new generations of DePauw students while preparing for retirement
From left: Jeffrey D. Jones ’80, wife Suzann and their children, Katie and DJ.
Deferred Payment Charitable Gift Annuities Jeffrey D. Jones ’80 learned the cold, hard facts about the steel industry while serving a Winter Term internship during his senior year at DePauw. It’s an experience he very much appreciates because it gave him a great start on his career. “My first job with Ryerson Steel [in Chicago] was the direct result of working my senior year January term at Ryerson’s parent company, Inland Steel. My internship sponsor was a aDePauw alumnus, Robert J. Darnall ’60, who is now retired chairman/CEO of Inland Steel Industries,” Jones said. “Despite what you might imagine, there is no place as cold as the floor of a steel mill in January,” he said. “Fortunately, this proved to be great preparation for the next 29 years of Minnesota winters.” Jones is now sales manager for McNeilus Steel Inc., in Dodge Center, Minn. At DePauw, Jones was a communication major and member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He waited tables at Pi Beta Phi sorority next door to the fraternity, participated in intramural sports and was a projectionist for the Union Building and Performing Arts Center. He noted that, in the pre-digital world, the projection booth was a good place to earn money while studying, until the projector bulb burned out or the film broke.
Jones thinks the DePauw campus has undergone many improvements, including the buildings that housed projection facilities and the ways in which information is displayed. “However, after nearly three decades of change and improvement, I can still sense the same timeless beauty of the Black and Gold thread that is woven into the fabric of campus life, which is a good thing – a great thing,” Jones said. Another thing that hasn’t changed is the need for scholarships that allow qualified students to receive an outstanding liberal arts education at DePauw. Recognizing this need, Jones and his wife, Suzann, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, have established Deferred Payment Charitable Gift Annuities with DePauw that will support scholarships for students in the future. His many family ties to the University also influenced their giving. Other family members who attended DePauw are Jeff’s parents, Donald and Sally Hotchkiss Jones, both Class of 1949; sisters, Judy Jones Kiedaisch ’73, Jill Jones Metcoff ’78 and Jamie Jones Cushing ’89; uncle and aunt, Vincent D. ’44 (dec.) and Marcia Dittgen Jones ’48; cousin, David M. Joncich ’ 67 and Marcy Jones Joncich ’68; brother-in-law, William J. Kiedaisch
Jr. ’72; and nephew, Peter G. Burgeson ’98. “Giving a gift annuity is creating a whole new legacy and enabling others to do the same in generations to come,” Jones said. He also is making the gifts in honor of his sister, Judy Jones Kiedaisch, who attended DePauw from 1969-72. Kiedaisch was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1982 and has battled the debilitating disease heroically ever since. Jeff Jones calls her a wonderful inspiration to him and his family. Jeff and Suzann are DePauw Loyalty Society members, who have stayed connected with DePauw classmates through visits to campus, class reunions and Monon Bell telecast parties. “My experiences at DePauw further enriched my development and values in terms of who and where I am today,” Jones said. “Most importantly, it provides perspective and the realization of just how blessed my family and I have been, and the charitable gift annuities are simply another great way to give back to DePauw.” Jones notes that, in addition to a charitable income tax deduction up front, Deferred Payment Charitable Gift Annuities will provide the couple with a guaranteed, future fixed payment during retirement years for him and his wife. “When we made our first annuity gift about 20 years ago, retirement was a long way off,” he said. “Three more annuities later, retirement is much closer and looks more affordable.” A charitable gift annuity is a simple gift and a great way to accomplish both income and philanthropic goals. In exchange for a gift to DePauw, annuitants will receive fixed income payments for life. And, since a charitable gift annuity is part investment and part gift, it can be an excellent option for donors who want to secure their own financial stability while ensuring a level of support for DePauw. This makes a charitable gift annuity a win-win situation. For more information about charitable gift annuities or other planned gifts, please call Melanie J. Norton, director of gift planning, at 765-658-4216 or 800-446-5298, or send her an e-mail at melanienorton@depauw.edu.