Willis Jones
Football—five conference championships, basketball—state titles at two different high schools, seven track teams, volleyball, skiing and golf. Willis Jones (’28 BS, ’39 MS EDU) coached them all and in the process he taught hundreds, probably thousands, of young people how to set goals, work together, celebrate victories and accept defeats. Coach Jones passed his commitment to helping young people on to his daughter, Dottie King. It is a commitment shared by her husband, Bob, and it is why they have endowed the Willis L. Jones Student Leadership Center in Memorial Union.
The Center will sponsor student leadership conferences and retreats, campus wide programs, workshops and events and provide media, electronic and source materials that support leadership activities. An important part of the Wisconsin Experience is the education that happens outside the classroom. Thanks to the Kings, students will be able to attend seminars with speakers from around the globe and participate in leadership lecture series. Through the Center, students will gain valuable skills in ethical decision-making, communication, developing best-practice models, long-range planning and conflict resolution.
Read more about Dottie and Bob King in the 2011 Wisconsin Union Annual at Terrace Views.