of lessons from watching other people, and at times I have had to shout at myself and I know Nathaniel has watched me and can maintain the standards and stature we have achieved.
Southern Soul: Is there one highlight that stands out above all others?
Jones: That’s a hard question. Well, I think the one above all is -this is really personal. One of those years when we were struggling to keep everything afloat, I remember stopping by to see my mother. She was getting old and had health issues. Her vision had deteriorated and when she read, she had to hold the paper very, very close to her eyes (like this) [motioning with a newspaper towards his face]. When I arrived, she was reading the newspaper in the kitchen and
42 | Southern Soul l September 2014
she was just so, so very happy. She had just read that we had gotten another deal with FedEx and she was simply exuding pride. She was so happy that a company like FedEx would place trust in and was supporting her son. She was so happy! Sometimes, people don’t get the magnitude of what we have accomplished, don’t understand the hurdles we have straddled or the struggles we have conquered; they just don’t understand everything about “it,” but she did. Yes, she did. Before I left that day, she said “Tell Fred Smith that I’m pleased that he is supporting my son.” To know that my mother got “it” and that I had made her proud. That is the highlight for me.
Southern Soul: What
message would you like to give our youth?
Jones: My message is that there
are really no excuses. There is no excuse for you to “not” know anything in this universe. Today, youth can discover anything with a click of a mouse. So, there is no excuse. I tell them the demand that’s going to be on them to get a job or the demand they must meet to get into college, they must be prepared. I think they have almost disenfranchised themselves. They are not voting, not participating, they are not part of life, so, if they want to be a part of it, they must prepare, they must be competitive. They have no excuses. When companies and organizations are evaluating whether or not they are going to let you get through the door, you must be ready, prepared and competitive. You may get to sit at the table, it may be at the corner