Mayor Jones taught many lesssons, his hard work will live on

Thursday will go down as a very sad day for the Linton community as

Mayor Tom Jones passed away.

Jones, who was completing his second term as mayor, passed away at his

residence Thursday morning.

Throughout the years I spent working at the Greene County Daily World,

Tom not only became a great news source for me, but he also became a

great friend.

As a young intern at the then Linton Daily Citizen in 2002, Chris

Pruett gave me my very first assignment -- the purchase of Linton

Sporting Goods by Tom and Patti Jones. I was scared out of my mind

being assigned to cover my first story -- and it was only my first day

on the job. Driving to the store, I remember going over questions to

ask in my head while mentally psyching myself up. After stepping out

of my vehicle, notebook and ink pen in hand, I was greeted by Tom's

friendly, smiling face and immediately relaxed. From that point, I was

able to remember the things I learned in journalism school and

completed my very first interview and story.

At that time, I doubt I would've believed it if anyone had told me

that Tom would become a big part of my journalism career; however, he

did indeed become a huge part of my career.

While working at the Greene County Daily World as a full-time staff

writer, I was assigned to the city of Linton beat. While covering a

variety of stories related to the city, I spent countless hours

interviewing Tom. I can't count the numbers of time I grabbed my tape

recorder, notebook, and ink pen and headed across the street to get

the latest scoop from Tom at city hall. Today, I've recalled many

laughs and jokes we shared during those interviews.

I learned many things from Tom regarding city business, but by his

example, I also learned many life lessons. He taught me to stand up

for what was right, always. I saw Tom stand up for what he believed

was right regardless of what others thought. He taught me the

importance of a selfless leader. He made decisions based on what was

best for the city of Linton, even when those decisions weren't

popular. He put the city and its residents first.

Tom truly was one of the kindest people I have ever met. He worked so

hard to make Linton the best city possible. Thank you, Tom for all

you did to make Linton a great place to work, live, and raise a

family. Your hard work and dedication to the city of Linton and its

citizens will forever live on.