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In Memoriam
The RVC is very proud of its community and we pay tribute to all those no longer with us who have devoted their lives to the College and their profession.
PROFESSOR JET JONES
(1950)
Written by Jayne Wright, Tony Wilsomor, Geoff Smith and his many other colleagues and friends.
JET died (December 6th 2018), as he had lived, expressing that he wanted “no fuss”.
He was very proud of his Welsh heritage coming from Ystalyfera, upper Swansea Valley, where his father was a butcher. Throughout his life he displayed the traits of a Welshmen from this area – never using two or more syllables in a name when one will do. His wife Marion was Ma and it was inevitable that someone whose first names were James Eurig Thomas should become JET. This was still a mining area when JET graduated and he used to tell of experiences of working with pit ponies. Whether this was through seeing practice there or in practice, is unclear.
As an undergraduate in London he made good friends with the other Welsh students at the RVC, and a small group of them remained friends throughout their careers, including Charlie Davis, who was the veterinarian in charge of livestock at Compton Laboratory and Tom Jones who was a Veterinary Investigation Officer at Aberystwyth VIC.
JET graduated in June 1950, following which he spent some time at Birmingham City Abattoir, subsequently encouraging his undergraduates to do the same in order to gain valuable experience in pathology. From here he developed his skills, spending some time in Penn State, Bern, and the Animal Health Trust in Stock (Essex), with the majority of his working life spent at the RVC.
He took over direction and management of the post graduate Animal Health diploma course at the RVC’s Boltons Park Farm from Tony Thorne, who had a background in developing countries and had set a priority to train such students. JET continued this tradition with students from a wide variety of countries, as well as a regular quota of UK government veterinary officers and candidates from Australia and New Zealand. All appreciated his scientific approach and integrity, and many who went on to important positions in their home countries remained in touch as good friends.
JET succeeded Archie Laing as Professor and Head of Animal Husbandry. He was one of those rare veterinarians, a perfect gentleman, excellent research worker, always able to obtain robust research funding for excellent and relevant scientific endeavour – recognised by many as one of a most understated people, never flaunting his knowledge or seeking the limelight.
JET had his veterinary scientific heroes. Dr William-Smith, with whom he worked at the Animal Health Trust in the 1960s, strongly influenced him with respect to rigorous scientific investigation. While “evidence based” have become buzz words, JET, who took his lead from William-Smith, was a strictly evidence based scientist, principles which he instilled to great effect, in his many students.
All those who went through his MSc in Animal Health (from home and abroad), which he ran for many years at Boltons Park Farm, spoke highly of his leadership,
scientific integrity, teaching skills and empathy. He was rooted in farm animal disease, particularly pigs (past President of the SVRPM) and sheep, maintaining his skills, honed early in his career as a pathologist. He was an active member of the Pathology Society and Royal Society of Medicine for many years, demonstrating his foresight with respect to the need for human and animal health to develop together and be aligned – now recognised as ‘One Health’. Clearly JET was way before his time – a pioneer and pathfinder.
He enjoyed his teaching role at the RVC and never lost his enthusiasm for his research projects. He once said that the most exciting part of his day was opening his incubator in the morning to see what he had cultured overnight. Some might say he should have got out more, but to those who knew him, this was evidence of how he was continually enthused by his scientific studies.
Throughout his life, he maintained his lovely lilting accent, despite not living in Wales for 70+ years, and kept true to his socialist ideals, in both words and deeds – he always said he never thought much of Neil Kinnock whom he knew from his Welsh Labour Party days, and did nearly end his “love affair” with the Labour Party when Tony Blair rose to power!
His talents were not confined to the veterinary profession. He was well versed in the arts – ancient literature, including Greek and Latin, as well as portraiture, classical and modern. He was a regular at the National Portrait Gallery, and on first name terms with the staff in their restaurant, which he frequented on a regular basis.
He had a wide network of colleagues across the globe, some of whom have pre- deceased him. Those who remain, will miss his friendship, his willingness to help and his ready wit.
Thoughts go to his family – children Helen and David, son-in-law Bob and granddaughter Laura. No frills, donations to Marie Curie.
With thanks for all of his support, as a colleague, mentor and friend.
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