'A true West Texan'

Delwin Jones is being remembered for his lifetime of service and dedication to West Texas, including his 30 years representing Lubbock and the region in the State Legislature.

Jones, a military veteran, cotton farmer, community volunteer and politician whose legislative career spanned six decades, died Wednesday. He was 94.

He served on the Texas Tech Board of Regents and was a member of the Lubbock County Farm Bureau, the Lubbock Lions Club and the Plains Cotton Growers Association, according to A-J Media archives.

He was a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps, having served during WWII. He began a career as a farmer before pursuing public office, representing Lubbock and parts of the region during two long stints. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1964 until 1972, and from 1989 until 2011.

Jones helped pass many pieces of legislation — among them was the creation of and securing funding for such institutions as the Texas Tech Medical School, Texas Tech Law School, the National Ranching Heritage Center and the Buffalo Lakes Water District. He also played a key role in changing the name of Texas Technological College to Texas Tech University and bringing the Lubbock State Supported Living Center to the Hub City, among other accomplishments.

Tech Chancellor Robert Duncan served in the Texas House and Senate for much of Jones' second stint in the Legislature. On Wednesday, Duncan said it was an honor to know Jones as a dear friend.

“Delwin Jones was a pillar of the Lubbock community and the embodiment of the strength and determined spirit of West Texas," Duncan said. "We are grateful for how he represented Texas Tech as a proud Red Raider and our universities as a member of the Board of Regents. I am forever inspired by how he dedicated his life to serving our region and its people.”

Jones will also be remembered for his famous red, white and blue campaign emery boards. Texas Tech Chancellor Emeritus Kent Hance said he always liked when Jones was campaigning, because he knew that was the end to his hangnails.

"In all my life in politics, I'd never seen anyone that enjoyed public service more than Delwin Jones," said Hance. "I mean, he loved it. He loved to help people, he loved public service. He worked hard, he never let up."

Hance, who represented the Lubbock area in the U.S. Congress from 1979 to '85, said he was able to get Jones to come work for his Congressional team for just a brief period to help farmers secure loans. Jones, he said, worked from dusk until dawn, and had fun doing it.

Hance said when people in West Texas needed any help with a state agency, it was known that Jones would be the first person you'd call.

Jones was also known, at least in media circles, for being easy to contact, even during his later years — his number was still in the phone book.

Former State Rep. Carl Isett, who represented the Lubbock-based House District 84 from 1997 to 2009, recalled working as a team with Jones to help move Lubbock forward.

"As many others, I'll remember him as a faithful servant to Lubbock and the South Plains," Isett told A-J Media. "He was very committed to the ideals he believed in, and loved serving in the Texas House. He loved the institution of the Texas House... He was a man who was faithful to what he believed in, and he gave others the same respect if they took a position different from that."

The A-J's former editorial editor Joe Gulick recalled frequent conversations with Jones, who he said was always wanting to hear all view points.

"He had a real servant's heart," said Gulick. "He wasn't in it for ego, or anything like that. He truly wanted to serve the people - that was the impression I always got. He always had a good reason for every vote he made. I can't say I agreed with every one, but he always had a reason to do it. He'd say it was the best for the people in his district."

Gulick, like many people around Lubbock, still owns one of Jones' famous red, white and blue campaign emery boards.

Hance while speaking with A-J Media over the phone Wednesday, said he was holding one himself.

Jones' most recent term in the Legislature ended in 2011. He ran for Texas Senate in 2012, and his candidacy was sometimes rumored in other elections after that.

In 2015, during one of his later public appearances, Jones was presented the prestigious George Mahon Award by the Lubbock Professional Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications.

In a video prepared for the awards ceremony to celebrate Jones’ accomplishments, former councilman Paul Beane said Jones had worked long and hard not only for the citizens of Lubbock, but for the citizens of West Texas and the state of Texas.

Duncan said for the video, “Delwin has always been involved in different types of activities, as a volunteer at the Lions Club, and has been active in the Republican Party, helping the new candidates learn the ropes and understand how to get elected.”

In accepting the award, Jones said, “It’s been a privilege to represent this area for 30 years. West Texas has always been a key part of conservative government.” Following the event, he told A-J Media, “It’s kind of humbling, and as I look back, it’s so great to have had a part of West Texas - everywhere from farming to the political aspects. And it’s just a great honor for somebody to say thank you.”

He also had an admonition for the Women in Communications: “Be sure and vote every time, because if you don’t vote you don’t have any right to gripe. And most people in West Texas like to gripe.”

Marie Hanza, executive director for Habitat for Humanity, called Jones' passing a tremendous loss for Lubbock. He and his wife Reta, who died in 2014, were highly involved in community service, including helping start Lubbock's branch of Habitat for Humanity after visiting one in Austin.

"The city of Lubbock and the state of Texas has lost a great individual," said Hanza. "This is an individual who was community service-minded for many, many years. There are countless individuals who have a place to call home because of their efforts."

Jones was also honored by the Lubbock Lions Club in 2015 for his years in public service.

(Reporter Jayme Lozano contributed to this story)