A Pattern for Success
Diane Jones didn’t cut any corners to earn her degree. This material girl leaves her students some sound advice sewn together with the thread that binds us all.
Words by Kerri Starnes Parker | Images by Al Blanton
Diane Jones gently lifts the stack of quilts from a sofa in her master bedroom. As she unfolds the fabric, a cascade of colors pours a rainbow across the dark hardwood, bringing it to life.
“I designed this one myself,” she admits with a grin. “My mom taught me the basics of quilting, but I never had the time to devote to it until now. Since I have retired, I put so much time into it and I enjoy it. Of course, I enjoyed my work as well.” She stops for a moment, and as she holds a unique piece made for a friend, her mind is holding a memory. After all, there are many to choose from when one spends 37 years in education.
Diane Jones started out working hard early in life. The youngest of three girls, she made a decision to stand out on her own. She graduated from Walker County High School early, at age 16. “I decided to take as many classes as I could, mainly because I did not care much for school and I just wanted to be out of there,” she admits. “I really don’t think anyone expected me to go on to college.”
After working in registration for a year at People’s Hospital (where the current CHS Building stands today), she enrolled in nursing school at Walker College. While in the clinical portion of the program, Diane realized she was “not cut out to be a nurse.” That’s when she made a career change that would enable her to become the person she was meant to be.
As much as Diane felt she hated high school, she loved college life. She wanted to teach physical education and English and took as many classes as she could. It paid off. She finished her time at Walker College, obtaining her A.S. in one year. Her mind was like a sponge, absorbing all she could learn. Two years after enrolling at the University of Alabama she graduated with honors, receiving her B.S. in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and English.
Diane’s teaching career began at Cordova, where she taught physical education and science, then earned her M.A. at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Six years later, she was teaching at Sipsey Jr. High when Principal Maury Fowler mentioned a program that could help her earn a degree in administration. Diane was one of two Jasper applicants to be accepted. After completion, with encouragement from her friend and coworker, the late Dr. Julie Laible, she went on to receive her E.D.S and Ph.D degrees.
Dr. Jones’s career took her to Martin High School, where she was principal for three years. In 2000 she became a Carbon Hill Bulldog, remaining there for 11 years until her retirement.
Within a short time, UAB offered Dr. Jones a position as an adjunct professor in education, traveling to observe students who were obtaining administration degrees. Four years later, she retired again. “I came home and started quilting,” she says with a smile.
Of her 37 years in education, 18 were in the classroom and 19 were in administration.
Among her accomplishments, Dr. Jones was also the first female referee for the Walker County Basketball Association. Beginning in 1977, she officiated basketball games throughout various schools, including Cold Springs and Bear Creek. “That’s something I’m pretty proud of,” she says. “I’ve always loved sports.”
When asked about the things she has learned from her students over the years, Dr. Jones hesitates for a moment before offering a reply: “Kids are about as good as you tell them they’re going to be. You just encourage them along the way to do better,” she says. “Looking back, I feel as if I learned more than I gave. I hope I taught my students they’re a little bit better than they think they are.”
She pauses for a moment and continues as tears fill her blue eyes. “They can do a little bit more than they think they can. And then they can do more,” she adds. “Always be kind to one another. You never know what another person goes through at home.”
It is the design she has modeled her students to recreate in their own lives, and a pattern for success to be passed down from one generation to the next. 78