Walter R. Jones papers, 1920-2013

Walter R. Jones was born on December 1,1944 in Casper, Wyoming. Attending local schools, he graduated from Natrona County High School in 1963. Jones continued his schooling in the autumn of that year when he became a student at Casper Junior College. Upon completion of a two-year associate degree, Walter transferred to the University of Wyoming where he majored in history earning a B.A. degree in 1967.

Enlisting in the U.S. Army following graduation, Jones commenced a twenty-eight year military career. In his initial tour of duty, he studied the Korean language for one year at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, California. Subsequent to being certified as a language specialist, Walter was sent to South Korea where he was assigned to a post in the Demilitarized Zone for thirteen months. The final stretch of his active military service occurred when he was employed to work for the National Security Agency. During the years of 1976-1995, Jones was a member of the Wyoming and Utah national guard units. By the time he had retired from national guard service Walter had attained the rank of Sergeant Major and had received several awards for meritorious service.

After his military discharge in early 1971, Jones decided to pursue a graduate degree in Library and Information Service at Brigham Young University. Two years later he received a M.L.I.S. degree and secured his first professional position as a reference librarian at the Natrona County Public Library located in his hometown of Casper, Wyoming. This experience aided him in acquiring the job as Director of the Uinta County Library, a job which he held for six years (1976-1982).

Walter's occupational profile was enhanced when the University of Utah's Marriott Library hired him in 1982 to head the Western Americana Divsion of the library's Special Collections Department. He was appointed to the position of Assistant Director of Special Collections in 1999. During his stint as a faculty member, Jones was granted a M.A. degree in history (1988), was elected to the University Academic Senate, and was a member of many university and library committees.

Throughout his career, Walter has been involved in a variety of professional activities. His first book, entitled A History of the Sand Bar, 1888-1977, was published in 1981. Additional monographs, viz., Derricks and Determination: Oil Exploration in a Portion of Southwestern Wyoming, 1847-1982 and Window of the World: The First 100 Years of Natrona County Public Library, appeared in 2005 and 2010 respectively. Several articles concentrating on Wyoming history and a number of book reviews focusing on Intermountain history and the Vietnam War were printed during the years 1975-2007. Ten of Jones' short stories can be found in the 2001-2004 issues of Vietnam War Generation Journal and Dialogue.

Walter's research interests in the historical and fictional literature of the Vietnam War prompted him to present papers and to appear as a speaker, panelist, moderator, and commentator at professional conferences and public venues. Some examples include meetings of the Mormon History Association Conference, the Utah State Historical Society Conference, the Conference of Intermountain Archivists, and the Utah Westerners.

In 1988 Jones began his teaching career as a U.S. history lecturer at Salt Lake Community College. He has also taught courses on Korean and Vietnamese history for the Modern Language and History departments at the University of Utah since 1998.

As for contributions to the Salt Lake City community, Walter was a member of the Greater Avenues Community Council Board, the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, and the Committee for the Avenues Street Fair. He has served as an election judge.

Walter married Helen Walker in 1973. Their two children, David and Shannon, were born in 1975 and 1977.

(Biographical sketch composed by Roger V. Paxton.)