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Donna's Journal
Kiawanis-Presentation, December 28, 2004


1.Thanks you Bret for arranging this opportunity and let me thank this hard working group, who have for so many years made contributions to their community and to the whole world.
2. I know this because in 1955 I had worked two jobs all summer to save for college. I was running a bit short on expenses. Mr. Mueller, principal at Chilocco Indian School allowed me to speak to his Kiawanis group in Arkansas City, Kansas to ask for a scholarship.  So you see it has been 49 years since I last spoke to you. That scholarship gave me some funds but more than that it gave me encouragement. I took a heavy load of studies which was acceptable at the time and was able to get what little education I have.
3. Now that I have a book published and listed with Barnes and Noble it is my place to come to you again. Not to ask for assistance but to give back to you.
4.When my father died in 1986 he left these old photographs he had guarded for his entire life. He had written names and dates and places on the backs while he was very ill.
5.Show picture of Dad, Lee Otis Jones. I found this picture on the internet. How it got there I cannot tell you but without a doubt it is my father, or if not, it is someone who looks EXACTLY like him.
6.Dad knew how to get me through my grief when I lost him.

Pictures:
1.Dad's mother, seated. Nancy Bellzona Collins Jones, Mrs. Joseph Hubbard Jones
2.Dad's great aunt, Dora Jones Frenchman, Mrs. Edward Frenchman
3.Dad's wife, Velma Louise Pensoneau Jones, my mother
4.Dad's sister, Mrs. Dan T. Wadley, Gertrude Adah Jones Wadley (left notes)
5. Numerous pictures of the Osages encamped around Dad's family at Ralston, Ok.

As I began research on these pictures it occurred to me there must be as much history on all branches of the family. The first picture I retried was that of my Ponca grandmother, Elizabeth Little Cook, Pensoneau, Hernandez. The picture was saved by Dan Hernandez's wife, Rena Wiseman Hernandez. It had been damaged but she gave it to me anyway. My husband put it into the computer and came out with this beautiful repair job.

I worked six years with a professor who was working with the University of Oklahoma to put these old pictures in a book. As time went on, he became busier and busier and I just asked him to return the photo's and gave up on the project.

In the meantime a man in Scotland, Alastair McIntyre, saw my home page and asked if I would write for his site, Electric Scotland,  as well as put these photo's on the web. We did that and the rest is history........

A publishing company, Publish America, saw my short stories and asked if they could publish them. It  was a bit of an embarrassment  because I know I'm not a writer. The stories were meant to be  just  saved for my children and family. I had to carry “English for Dummies” around with me and still there are errors. This didn't seem to bother them. It was the history they wanted.

So this is the way “How To Keep Up With The Jones's, my book came about.

However, from 1986 until now I have seen a great interest in family's saving their history and I believe this is a good thing.


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