Posted by Joe Gilbreth on June 22, 2005:

Jones, Kelso (KELLY) LTC(R), age 76, of Birmingham passed away on Tuesday, December 25, 2001. Kelly is survived by his wife, Margaret Olsson (Meg) Jones of Birmingham; a daughter, Marcia Orleans Jones of Southside; a son, Kelso Jones, Jr. and daughter-in-law Delee, of Atlanta, GA; a son, Stephen Stanford Jones and daughter-in-law, Suzanne, of Charleston, SC.; a sister, Jo Bates and brother-in-law, Roger Bates of Gainesville, FL; two step-daughters and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his late-wife of 44 years, Dorothy Anne Batson Jones of Birmingham, AL. He was born on May 8, 1925. He graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point), Class of 1949. He served for 24 years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. After earning an M.S.E. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and licensure as a Registered Professional Engineer by the State of Ohio, his military service was devoted, initially, to research and development and later to analysis of scientific and technical intelligence. Upon retiring from the Air Force, he earned a doctor of jurisprudence degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, AL. He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar and served as the in-house legal counsel for the Alabama Medical Services Administration. He later became an Assistant Professor at the College of Engineering, Texas A & M University in College Park, TX. During that time he was admitted to the Texas State Bar and practiced criminal defense law. Additionally, he was also a Municipal Court Judge for the City of Bryan, Texas. During his retirement, Kelly was a voluntary arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau, a volunteer for the Birmingham Zoo, and a voluntary reader with the Alabama Public Television reading network. He traveled extensively in the states and overseas and was an active member of Shades Valley Lutheran Church. Kelly, in life and spirit, made West Point the center of his life. He was firmly committed to the principles of duty, honor and country. He was past president of the West Point Society of Birmingham Central Alabama and was actively involved in numerous West Point Alumni activities including annual reunions and leadership conferences. Kelly is remembered by all who knew him as an honorable, highly principled, intelligent and wonderful man. Kelly was a loving, devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend and we will all miss him. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 29th at 11:00 AM at Shades Valley Lutheran Church on Lakeshore Drive in Homewood with Pastor Mark Scott officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Association of Graduates of West Point, New York or to the Shades Valley Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.

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