June 17, 2008
Adrienne Lash Jones, Ph.D.
Fisk University, B.A. '56
School of Graduate Studies, '79 and '83, American
studies
Birthplace: Salisbury, North Carolina
Current home: Shaker Heights, Ohio
Adrienne Lash Jones wanted the nurturing environment and high academic standards she knew she could find at a historically black college. Fisk won her over. She moved to Nashville and chose to major in business administration.
"My family had a history of operating small businesses. I thought it would be a challenge to involve myself in an area of study that was a male-dominated field—and to succeed." As a Fisk student, she enjoyed events and programs held at the International Student Center, which brought in many notable speakers of the day. She also joined Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She graduated with honors in 1956.
When she decided to pursue graduate studies, Dr. Lash Jones enrolled in the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She later changed her academic focus to American studies and enrolled the university's School of Graduate Studies. Dr. Lash Jones experienced a similar nurturing and academically inspiring environment as she had years earlier at Fisk, though she recalls with dismay the university's decision to discontinue the program because of declining enrollment. She designed her own course of study, which included taking classes at nearby Cleveland State University.
She completed her doctorate 1983. Her dissertation, Jane Edna Hunter: A Case Study of Black Leadership, 1915-1950, was published in 1983, and again in 1990 as part of a 16- volume series, Black Women in United States History Volume 12 (Carlson Publishing, Inc., 1990).
Dr. Lash Jones spent her career at Oberlin College, retiring as emerita associate professor of African American studies. She remains busy as a community activist, involving herself in issues and projects she values. She is married to L. Morris Jones, M.D., and has three sons.
She has served on the board of the Cleveland Foundation, Karamu House, the Federation for Community Planning, Women's Community Foundation, and the executive board of world YWCA. She also was national vice president of YWCA National Board. Past professional affiliations have included the Black Women's Historians, Organization of American Historians, American Studies Association, and the National Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Dr. Lash Jones is currently on the board of Fisk University and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Posted by: Heidi Cool June 17, 2008 03:40 PM
Category: Alumni
, Legacy
, School of Graduate Studies