Leon Jones’ accomplishments for his Cherokee
people were many
Citizen-Times.com
The Cherokee lost a friend and the mountains lost a
transformational leader with the passing of Leon Jones last week.
Jones died at his home Friday at age 69 following a long battle with cancer.
Jones served as principal chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee from
1999 to 2003, years of dramatic change and growth in Cherokee. Those years were
marked by significant growth at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, by a fresh emphasis
on preserving and honoring the culture of the Cherokee and by addressing tribal
health issues and traffic issues. We won’t make Jones’ legacy larger than it
was — though it was plenty large — but it is sobering to think what kind of
legacy could have been left had local government gone off the rails during his
tenure. Gridlock, unchecked sprawl, a nation turning its back on its own
culture and a lower quality of life could easily have been the result.
That didn’t happen. For that alone Western North Carolina
owes Jones its gratitude.
Jones’ experience in Cherokee government was long and versatile, as he
served not only in the executive role but also as a school board chairman and
tribal court judge. He was a veteran, having enlisted in the Marines in 1954
and the Air Force in 1960. He served overseas in Vietnam
in 1967 and 1968. He served as a member of the board of directors for Cherokee
Children’s Home, Advantage West and Southwestern
Community College.
The latter board seat brings us to what is probably Leon Jones’ most lasting
legacy, education. He played a key role in a land swap with the federal
government that secured the 143-acre Ravensford tract
for a new Cherokee school, an effort that began decades ago.
His tenure in Cherokee politics was not without its controversies — and the Ravensford swap was one of them — but his accomplishments
will far outlive them. His legacy is a simple but enviable one: He was a
plainspoken advocate for Cherokee, its culture and most of all its youth.
Former Western Carolina University Chancellor Myron Coulter said Jones “was
passionate about his work. ‘These are my people.’ He would say that so many
times.”
Former associate Calvin Murphy said, “He was a very softhearted person, and
that’s unheard of in politics. He did the chief’s job, I believe, from his
heart.”
In late 2002 our editorial board held a question-and-answer session with
Chief Jones. He spoke of the reality of Cherokee vs. the perception of it. “… I
speak occasionally at Rotary Clubs and things like that,’’ Jones said. “I find
these people have no idea who Indians are, what they are. There’s a big
misconception from TV and movies. They come here looking for the things that
they are not going to see. They come here thinking they might see a teepee or
people in feathers and buckskins, and they don’t understand our culture, and
they don’t understand our government. I spend a lot of time … with very
prominent people. And I find that they are very ignorant, misinformed about our
form of government and our present-day culture. I’d like to be able to have
people understand who we are and what we are.
“... In order to preserve the nation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee
Indians, the nation that I lead, we need to have the most educated youngsters
coming up to take over that leadership some day. We need to educate them to
assure the future of this tribe and this nation.’’
During his time on this planet, Leon Jones helped straighten out the
misconceptions about the Cherokee, and helped lay the foundation for the
education of future generations.
He did himself and these mountains proud. We’ll miss him.
