About Loyal Jones

Born in 1928, Loyal Jones grew up on a mountain farm in western North Carolina. He graduated from Hayesville North Carolina High School in 1945, earned an undergraduate degree in English at Berea College in 1954, and received his masters in English (and became certified to teach) from the University of North Carolina in 1957.

Having served as Director of the Appalachian Center at Berea College from 1970-1993, Jones currently lives with his wife, the former Nancy Swan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Berea. The two met while in college and they are the parents of three children: Susan, Carol, and Scott.

Jones was born in Marble, Cherokee County, and lived there until he was 12, when his family moved to Brasstown in Clay County. “We were farmers, living on rented land,” he said. One of eight children, Jones served a brief stint in the Navy after high school, and then worked as a farmer and horse trainer before enrolling as an undergraduate at Berea College.

Jones began writing in college, but did not publish until several years later. He has been a prolific writer with literally dozens of published articles concerning Appalachian culture and its people to his credit.

One characteristic of Jones’ writing is optimism about the resiliency of mountain people and their culture, says Ron Eller, former director of the Appalachian Center at the University of Kentucky.

Jones’ message has been that Appalachia should be judged by its own values—family, land, traditionalism—rather than mainstream values of accumulation, wealth and power, Eller said.

“In many ways, he represents the best of Appalachia, the part of Appalachian society that values people for what they really are.”

In his years of writing and speaking about the region, Jones has become one of its best-known and best-loved figures. In addition to the numerous articles he has written about Appalachia, he has also authored nine books, including multiple volumes on regional humor.

His books include text for:

With Billy Edd Wheeler, Jones coauthored:

He also edited the Humor section and numerous entries in Encyclopedia of Appalachia, edited by Ruby Abramson and Jean Haskell, and published in 2006.

Records include notes to:

Before coming to Berea College as director of the Appalachian Center, Jones served two years in the United States Army as teacher and educational specialist; was a teacher in Jefferson County, Kentucky, public schools; and was Associate Executive Director and later Executive Director of the Council of the Southern Mountains in Berea.

Most of Jones’ life has been spent in the Southern mountains, and nearly all of his writing is connected to the region.

Over the years, he has been active in many organizations, including:

He has also served:

Among the numerous honors accorded Jones over the years are:

Most recently, in 2008, the Berea College Board of Trustees passed a resolution to rename the Appalachian Center at Berea College the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center in recognition of his distinguished career and notable accomplishments as the Center’s founding director.