From Depression-Era Roots to Historic Preservation: The Remarkable Journey of Charles Robert Jones
Editors’ Note: It was a pleasure having Mr. Charles Jones as our guest on WGNS Radio Conversations with Mike Sparks last Sunday evening. Charles has a wealth of knowledge and life experience. Listen in to his extraordinary life story. What is coincidental is that Rodger Thomas who serves as vice Chairman of the Smyrna Historical Board also grew up in the Old Jefferson Community.
Rodger had his 95-years ago-old Aunt Dorthy ‘Dot’ Comer call in a say a few words.
In the rolling hills of Gainesboro, Tennessee, on June 21, 1930, Charles Robert Jones entered the world in a modest tenant house on his grandfather’s farm. Little did anyone know that this child, born into the depths of America’s Great Depression, would grow to become one of Tennessee’s most accomplished entrepreneurs and historic preservationists.
Early Years: Forged by Adversity
The economic catastrophe that gripped America in the early 1930s shaped young Charles’s formative years. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in March 1933, the nation’s economy had plummeted to unprecedented lows. Like countless families across America, the Jones family was forced to seek opportunity elsewhere, relocating to Nashville in search of stability.
Charles’s childhood unfolded against the backdrop of economic uncertainty. The family settled into a rental house in north Nashville, where they remained until 1936. That year brought another move, this time to Old Jefferson, a rural community that would profoundly influence Charles’s character and worldview.
The five years spent in Old Jefferson, from 1936 to 1941, proved transformative. Nestled in the fork of the Stones River, this pastoral setting offered young Charles experiences that city life never could. He learned the rhythms of country living—fishing the local waters, hunting in the surrounding woods, and absorbing the wisdom shared by community elders who gathered regularly at the small general store.
These storytelling sessions left an indelible mark on Charles’s heart. The tales shared by local patrons weren’t mere entertainment; they were life lessons wrapped in the vernacular of rural Tennessee, shaping his understanding of perseverance, community, and the American spirit.
War Years and New Horizons
By 1942, World War II had fundamentally altered American society, and the Jones family once again found themselves on the move. This time, they headed south to Brunswick, Georgia, where Charles encountered the industrial might of America’s wartime production. Working at the J.A. Jones Shipyard, he witnessed history in the making as the facility mass-produced vessels on an unprecedented scale.
Though still a teenager, Charles played a unique role in this massive undertaking, serving as a messenger who delivered blueprints for the now-legendary Liberty ships. These vessels, which became symbols of American industrial capacity and determination, represented far more than mere transportation—they were lifelines to Allied forces and embodiments of American resolve.
Education and Service
The war’s end brought the family back to Nashville in 1946, where Charles enrolled at East Nashville High School. However, the practical demands of supporting his family led him to leave school in the tenth grade. For the next three years, he worked at the Avco Corporation, operating presses that manufactured steel components for the burgeoning aviation industry, while also taking on construction work to make ends meet.
In 1949, seeking broader opportunities, Charles ventured north to Detroit, where he spent two years working in an automobile plant. This experience with industrial manufacturing would later inform his business acumen, but his service to country called first. In 1951, he enlisted in the U.S. Army.
During the Korean War, Charles served as a medical corpsman and later as a psychiatric assistant, roles that demanded both technical skill and deep compassion. It was during this period of service that he met Maryetta, who would become his wife. Their courtship, conducted largely through correspondence, produced over 400 love letters—a testament to Charles’s devotion and communication skills that would serve him well in his future endeavors.
Academic Achievement and Early Career
When the Korean War concluded on July 27, 1953, Charles embarked on a new chapter: higher education. That fall, he enrolled at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, where he pursued and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Speech. His academic journey continued with a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University in Speech Therapy and Psychology.
During his college years, Charles demonstrated the leadership qualities that would define his later success. He served as a preacher for a small Church of Christ congregation while also working as a substitute teacher in Michigan, balancing spiritual guidance with educational service.
The Business Breakthrough
Charles initially planned a career in public education, but fate had other plans. In 1965, he decided to test his mettle in the business world, accepting a one-year position as manager with an automobile leasing company. This decision would prove pivotal.
His natural leadership abilities, combined with his gift for motivation and relationship-building, led to tremendous success in the business arena. His wit, warmth, and wise counsel attracted a network of friendships and business contacts that would follow him throughout his career, creating a foundation of trust and collaboration that transcended individual ventures.
National Recognition and Innovation
Charles’s dual experience in education and business created unique opportunities. His previous role as president of a local chapter of the Michigan Education Association, combined with his business success, led to an invitation to develop a member benefit program for the 80,000 members of the Michigan Education Association.
This success opened even greater doors. Charles was invited to Washington, D.C., to create a program serving over one million members of the National Education Association. His entrepreneurial spirit and marketing expertise enabled him to negotiate advantageous deals with banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, and manufacturers, securing valuable discounts for teachers on a national scale.
Building on this success, Charles founded Professional Economic Services in 1970, which he managed until 1985. His client roster read like a who’s who of American institutions: Delta Airlines, General Electric, the Retired Army Officers Association, Air Force and Marine Associations, and numerous other corporations.
Return to Tennessee: Historic Preservation
In 1985, Charles transitioned his company to his partner and shifted focus to real estate investment, acquiring farms and commercial properties across Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma. However, Tennessee called him home in 1990, marking the beginning of perhaps his most meaningful chapter.
Charles began acquiring and restoring historic properties, recognizing their cultural and architectural significance. His portfolio included the St. Bernard’s Convent Building and the Werthan Bag Factory, made famous in the film “Driving Miss Daisy.” His vision extended beyond mere ownership; he sought to breathe new life into these landmarks while preserving their historical integrity.
One of his most significant achievements involved the former Macy’s Building, an important Tennessee landmark that he skillfully repurposed and traded for the Memorial Hospital property at Due West Towers. However, his crowning achievement in historic preservation has been his integral role in the ongoing restoration of the Historic Milky Way Farm, the former estate of Franklin C. Mars, founder of Mars Candies.
Legacy of Transformation
Throughout his remarkable 60-year career, Charles Robert Jones has worn many hats: innovator, entrepreneur, developer, manager, and educator. Yet these professional accomplishments represent only one dimension of his impact. To his family, friends, and community, Charles embodies something far more valuable than business success.
He has become an inspirational mentor who has counseled, guided, and “re-purposed” numerous lives, much like the historic buildings he has restored. His humanitarian efforts, rich in good works, demonstrate that true success is measured not merely in financial terms, but in the positive influence one has on others.
From that modest tenant house in Gainesboro to the boardrooms of national corporations, from the shipyards of wartime Georgia to the historic landmarks of Tennessee, Charles Robert Jones’s journey exemplifies the American dream realized through perseverance, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to both preservation and progress.
His life story serves as a reminder that our greatest structures—whether they are businesses, buildings, or the human spirit itself—can be restored, repurposed, and renewed with vision, dedication, and care. In preserving Tennessee’s architectural heritage, Charles has also preserved something equally important: the belief that with determination and heart, any foundation can support remarkable achievements.
Source: CharlesRJones.com
