Phillip Allen Jones

Phillip Allen Jones
Phillip A. "Phil" Jones was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. He received a B.A. degree from Indiana University (IU) with majors in broadcast journalism and philosophy.
In 1960, he married Myra Wort of Indianapolis and began a broadcast career at WLWI (TV). Following active duty in the U.S. Army, he returned to IU where he did graduate studies in journalism, public broadcasting and political science.
Moving to Detroit in 1963, he worked two years as public affairs writer/producer/anchor for WDET-FM, Wayne State University (WSU) public radio. In 1965, he joined the news department of Detroit radio station WJR. He covered the police and court beat, wrote and anchored daily 15-minute newscasts, produced several documentaries and served as business editor.
He was a 1969 recipient of the national Robert F. Kennedy journalism award for an hour-long documentary he produced on race relations with the Detroit Police Department after the Detroit riot. He also received Associated press and Detroit Press Club Foundation honors for coverage of the 1967 riot and police-Black Panther confrontations.
In 1971, Jones became broadcast news relations manager for Michigan Bell (later to become Ameritech). He retired in 1994 as director of media relations for Ameritech Michigan.
For more than 20 years, he taught courses in public relations, broadcast news writing, broadcast performance and audio production as a part-time instructor at WSU.
Jones served as a member of the Journalism Institute for Minorities Advisory Board at WSU, the Detroit Renaissance Concerts board, and was an active member of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, the Michigan Press Association and the Detroit Press Club.
He had many interests including woodworking, classical music, boating and boat restoration, automotive and broadcast history and writing limericks.
He is survived by his wife, two adult children, Jeffrey Jones (Christina Witulski) and Julee (Jones) Boucard, six grandchildren: Kelsey (Jones) Smith, Alison (Jones) Rzepecki and Haley Jones; Anna, Patrick and Jack Boucard, and 2 great-grandchildren: Graham and Kennedy Rzepecki.
Visitation, followed by a memorial service, will be held at 2 pm on November 15 at the Sawyer-Fuller Funeral Home in Berkley, MI.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Phil's honor to the Little Traverse Conservancy at landtrust.org.