03/07/2026
The Spotlight this month is shining on our brother Thomas Jones, who has been a Jolly Fellow Club Member since 1996.
He is well-known all over Kalamazoo for many reasons. For one, he has lived here for almost eight decades and seems to know everyone. Also, he is known by many because of his wonderful talent of singing. His smooth tenor voice has been requested for weddings, funerals and special guest programs.
For many years he had sung in the choir at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, where he has been a member for as long as he has lived in Kalamazoo. Tommy has also sung on cruise ships, unexpectedly, when they heard his voice from the audience and asked him to come onstage, thinking he was a Motown singer. He even sang at a Jolly Fellow Ball one year, accompanied by club member, James Liggins, on the piano. He mesmerized the festive crowd with his mellow voice. He definitely lives up to his name, "Tom Jones," like the famous singer.
Tommy moved here from Tennessee at the tender age of 3 years old, and has witnessed and lived through so many changes in this city. He attended Kalamazoo Public Schools all the way through, and graduated from Central High in 1961. As a high school senior, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and upon graduation, he went to San Diego, California for Basic Boot Training.
While serving his country for almost six years in the Marines, which he proudly boasts is the "toughest branch of the military," he advanced from Private to Corporal to up in the rank of Staff Sergeant. As a proud Marine Soldier, Thomas Jones defended his country while fight in the Vietnam War during the Mid-60s, and was honorably discharged from service in 1966.
To backtrack a little, while home on leave from service during the Christmas Holiday in 1962, he met the love of his life, a cute little WMU College student, Diane Allen, who was studying to become a teacher. It was 'love at first sight' for both of them. It was his smooth tenor voice singing in her ear while dancing that evening that made her think "--I could enjoy listening to his voice for the rest of my life--" and so far it has been 59 years of marital bliss. While he was finishing his four years in service, Diane was busy finishing her degree, leading to her Masters, which she began and completed after they married in 1967. In 1970, Tommy and Diane became the proud parents of a little daughter, Debbi, who is also a teacher.
Upon returning home from the war, Tommy began working for The United States Industry, better known as Job Corps, as the Area supervisor, working with and training hundreds of young people, where he worked prior to attending and graduating from The Detroit College of Business.
He then began working at the Upjohn Company, advancing from a Lab Technician to working in Personnel as a Special Employment Administrator. In retrospect, in looking back over his life, there are other positions he held at major companies where his expertise and business training was an asset. Before retirement, he was a Supervisor in Management at the Brown Company for several years, back in the mid 70s. He moved on and upward to another management position at American Cyanamid, where he worked until retirement in 1995.
Thomas Jones has had a long and productive history of working with people. His stern, yet pleasant personality, is still appreciated by those who have worked with him and for him. He is also appreciated by strangers almost every single day who thank him for his service, when noticing the insignia on his Military Veteran Cap which he proudly wears every single day. It surprises his wife when their dinners have unexpectedly been paid for by strangers, unknowingly, as their way to "Thank Him for his Service."
(To quote his wife, Diane, "It's Great being married to an 82 year old Vet who looks and acts like a 60 year old! I Thank God for my loving husband every day!)
