Jacob P. Jones Society
Members of the Jacob P. Jones Society are a special group of people who have chosen to remember the College in a way that directly benefits future generations of students. Making a will provision, or any planned gift, to Haverford College acknowledges and honors the role that the College has played in so many graduates' lives, during and after their time on campus. For a listing of the Jacob P. Jones Society members, click here.
You may recall seeing Jacob Jones's name on the simple plaque just outside the entrance to Founders Hall. Jacob Jones was an extraordinary person; and, more than a century ago, he made possible the creation of the modern Haverford we all know.
Jacob Jones grew up in Philadelphia in the early 1800s. A devout Quaker, he attended several Friends' schools. While he did not attend Haverford, he sent his only son, Richard, to study here in 1859.
A successful businessman, Mr. Jones and his close friend, Israel Morris, had formed one of the first companies to buy and sell iron and steel in the U.S. Mr. Jones looked forward to his son eventually joining the firm; but, four years after his graduation, Richard, who suffered from poor health, died.
Devastated by his son's death, Mr. Jones devoted much of the remainder of his life to charitable works. He also thought of Richard's positive experiences at the fledgling Haverford, and the close relationship and respect he had developed for Thomas Chase, a faculty member, who later became the College's President. In confidence, Jacob Jones told Professor Chase of his plan to provide for Haverford in his will. Jacob Jones died in 1885.
Following his wife's death nine years later, his earlier commitment to Thomas Chase was fulfilled: ". . . to create an endowment fund, the income thereof to admit students either free of charge or at reduced rates . . ." In addition to a $5,000 outright bequest to create the Richard T. Jones Scholarship, the College received the bulk of Jacob Jones's $1.4 million estate. It continues to be one of the largest funds in the College's endowment. Its creation enabled the College to become one of the nation's premier institutions of higher education, as envisioned by later Haverford President Isaac Sharpless.
In his 1933 work, Haverford College—A History and Interpretation, Rufus Jones wrote,
"Haverford owes its largest single debt of gratitude for financial bestowals to Jacob P. Jones. One could wish that Jacob Jones and his wife might know what has been wrought through their munificence—what has been wrought and what through the interminable years will be wrought."
Through the creation of The Jacob P. Jones Society, the College wishes to honor this important legacy by recognizing alumni and friends who have provided for Haverford through a gift plan.
Many individuals continue to provide essential support for the College through such a gift. These include life-income gifts and will provisions. Endowed scholarships and other named funds are created through gifts to the pooled income fund, charitable gift annuities, unitrusts, and bequests. Life-income gifts provide important current benefits to the donor, such as a lifetime income stream from the gift and a charitable deduction.
For more information on life income gifts and charitable bequests, please contact:
Olga Briker, Ph.D.
610-795-6079
obriker@haverford.edu