CALDWELL, Idaho — The College of Idaho in Caldwell announced Tuesday a gift from the estate of former Idaho State Supreme Court Justice Warren Jones and his wife, Karen, endowing a scholarship for students pursuing a degree in political economy and who have an interest in law school.
Jones graduated magna cum laude in 1965 with a degree in political science. During his time at the College, he connected with Professor George Wolfe, who recommended him to the University of Chicago, where Jones received his law degree in 1968. In all, he spent nearly five decades working in law before retiring in 2017.
The gift from the Jones family represents one of the largest endowed scholarships for The College of Idaho, benefitting students for years to come, according to a College of Idaho news release. It’s estimated the scholarship will help at least sixty students in its initial ten years.
“It helps make it seem possible for them (students) to do something that they may otherwise think wasn’t possible,” said Political Economy Professor Kerry Hunter, who advises the College’s pre-law students. “The scholarship is there to help people like Warren Jones himself, a rural Idaho kid who came here and realized a dream.”
Jones passed away in September 2018, but the gift of his family will leave a legacy at the College. Roger Burdick, the Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court (pictured), spoke on behalf of his colleague and friend.
“His 49 years of work in the law -- and the core values of Idaho’s sagebrush plains -- now furnish this gift to the place that changed his life,” Burdick said of the endowment. “The land may have formed Justice Jones but The College of Idaho, its professors, and especially George Wolfe, added a bright finish.”
(photo courtesy: College of Idaho)
