A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Lee W. Jones, Jr.

The late Dr. Lee W. Jones, a School of Dentistry alumnus and the first director of its diversity initiative that began in the 1970s, was remembered at a Celebration of Life service as a determined leader and mentor to hundreds of students during his years at the school. Jones, who died on Sept. 6, 2021, at the age of 87, was the first African-American to have a dental practice in Ann Arbor after he graduated from the dental school in 1961. Even as he maintained the practice, he returned to the dental school after several years to become an instructor and, in 1973, was named director of what was then called the Office of Minority Affairs. The school has previously honored Lee Jones’ leadership and service to the school, with the Lee Jones Dentistry Diversity Program and the Lee W. Jones Scholarship Fund, which provides need-based financial aid for students. In 2014, Dr. Jones received the dental school’s Distinguished Service Award, and in 2008, he received the Civil Rights Award from the National Dental Association. Read more about Dr. Lee Jones and the Celebration of Life here: https://news.dent.umich.edu/2022/09/30/dr-lee-jones-remembered-as-a-dedicated-leader-who-worked-tirelessly-to-make-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-a-fundamental-value-for-the-school-of-dentistry/