The Jones Educational Foundation Inc.

The late James Arthur “Onion” Eastham, in whose name a cornerstone contribution has been made by Dr. Sonya Jones to establish the Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund for veterans, is pictured here with his wife Virginia and their three children (second row, left to right) Wayne, Lisa (Bandy) and Jimmy. The Eastham family has given their enthusiastic endorsement to the contribution honoring their beloved husband and father. The Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund operates under the auspices of The Jones Educational Foundation Inc. The fund was established to assist veterans with educational opportunities.

The Jones Educational Foundation Inc., a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation based in Somerset, has launched the Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund with a $1,000 contribution made by Dr. Sonya Jones honoring the late James Arthur “Onion” Eastham.

According to Dr. Jones, president and CEO of The Jones Foundation, the donation is intended to pay tribute to the friendship between James “Onion” Eastham, a man who was regarded highly in the Somerset community, and her father.

Further, the fund is meant to honor veterans from all the wars in which the United States has fought. The initial donation honors veterans who served in the European and Pacific theaters of World War II. “I had been thinking about the Foundation setting up a fund for veterans in Dad’s name ever since I made a donation in his memory to help restore the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial building at Union College,” Dr. Jones said. Reid Jones graduated from Union in 1959. He went on to do graduate work in education at Eastern Kentucky University.

“When Mr. Eastham passed away in late December, I knew it was time,” Dr. Jones added. “Dad thought so much of his friend that I felt he would want me to do something special to honor Onion’s memory.”

Reid Sievers Jones (April 24, 1926 to April 15, 2005) entered the U.S. Army at a crucial point in the history of World War II. He was stationed in Germany, and he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a survivor in what has been called “one of the bloodiest battles” of World War II.

Conducted in the dense, mountainous region of Belgium, the Battle of the Bulge was Adolf Hitler’s last major offensive against the Allies. The battle ran from Dec. 16, 1944, until Jan. 25, 1945.

When he enlisted in the Army as a private, Reid Jones was 18 years of age. He married Elva Sears on Dec. 30, 1944, shortly before shipping out to the European front. He was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant and remained in Germany for a short time after the war to help begin the process of reconstruction.

A contribution in the amount of $1,000 has been made in the name of James Arthur “Onion” Eastham to establish the Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund to assist with educational opportunities for veterans. The donation made by Dr. Sonya Jones, president and CEO of The Jones Foundation, is intended to honor the friendship between her father and Onion Eastham who was awarded three bronze stars for his service in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Eastham is pictured here shortly after he became a Marine.

James “Onion” Eastham (Sept. 22, 1923, to Dec. 28, 2010) served in the Asiatic- Pacific theater where he was awarded two bronze stars for duty at and during the Luzon and Southern Philippine campaigns. He also received the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a bronze star for duty involving combat with the enemy.

Reid Jones and Onion Eastham were “two of a kind,” said Jimmy Eastham, son of the former Somerset City Council member who served as staff sergeant and crew chief aboard a B-25 bomber in the United States Marine Corp.

Jones and Eastham both were salesmen after the war. Jones worked for many years for Fram Corp. and Eastham for the Morton Salt Co. The two men liked to get together and engage in the high art of Southern storytelling. Both formed strong friendships with other men in the Somerset community.

“Dad and Onion Eastham were part of a group of men who convened initially at Dad’s car lot out on East Mt. Vernon Street, then at Dad’s automotive parts store on Ogden Street in the building now owned by Dr. Byron Owens,” Dr. Jones said.

“After Dad retired from Fram, he devoted most of his time to the automotive business and our family’s rental properties,” Dr. Jones continued.

“When Dad closed the automotive parts store housed in the same building with Mother’s antiques and collectibles, he and his buddies met for coffee at the Sugar Shack over on the strip,” she said.

From time to time, the group also included Bobby Claunch, Howard Eastham, Ledger Howard, Penny Starnes, Don Stone, Jim Williams and Bob Williams in addition to Reid Jones and Onion Eastham.

Like his father, Jimmy Eastham served as a member of Somerset City Council. He and the Eastham family have given their enthusiastic endorsement to the Reid S. Memorial Fund with Dr. Jones’ cornerstone contribution in memory of James “Onion” Eastham.

“It is a good idea to establish the fund even if it weren’t done in the name of my father,” Eastham said.

Both Reid Jones and James Eastham were “very patriotic,” according to Virginia Eastham, mother of Jimmy, Lisa (Bandy) and Wayne Eastham.

The Jones Educational Foundation Inc. has established a memorial fund in the name of Reid S. Jones, pictured here beside the jeep he used as a staff sergeant in Germany. He was fond of the jeep and asked his driver, a German named Fritz, to take good care of her after he returned to the United States. Mr. Jones married Elva Sears on Dec. 30, 1944, shortly before shipping out to Germany. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, one of the bloodiest battles in World War II. The Jones Educational Foundation Inc. was established in August 2005 following the death of Mr. Jones on April 15. Since he was a successful businessman, it is fitting that Reid Sievers Jones died on tax day, debt-free.

When Reid Jones returned from the war, he worked first as a teacher and principal in the Pulaski County and Somerset City school systems. He is remembered, particularly by former students at Shopville High School, as a firm teacher who was not afraid to exercise discipline when he thought it was needed.

Later, in the 1960s, he joined Fram Corp., based in Providence, R.I., as a district sales manager. Frequently, he was recognized for exceeding sales quotas. He was instrumental in placing Fram products in Wal-Marts across the southeastern United States.

Reid Jones was a 32nd degree Mason and a member of Oleika Shriners Temple in Lexington. He served on the board of directors of First United Methodist Church.

In addition to being an influential member of Somerset City Council, James “Onion” Eastham was a member of the Somerset Masonic Lodge #111 and a long-standing member of the Kiwanis Club. He was also a member of First Baptist Church where he taught Sunday school and served as chair of a building committee for the church’s new sanctuary.

As a member of Somerset City Council from 1964 to 1982, Eastham played an active role in helping to establish Somerset Community College and finding a location for what is now Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. He considered running for mayor, but his job as a regional salesman for Morton Salt Co. created time constraints that caused him not to seek office.

According to Clarence Love, city clerk during the years Eastham served on council, “he was very conscientious.” In Love’s opinion, Eastham was an “excellent councilman.”

Jimmy Eastham said he thought his father most likely would be remembered most for “standing for what he believed in.”

The Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund was established, first and foremost, to help veterans with educational issues.

“A veteran might return from Afghanistan ready to go to law school and need some assistance,” Dr. Jones said. “Or, a veteran might return and want to become a law enforcement officer or a mechanic.”

As interest on the fund grows, money will be awarded to veterans who demonstrate great potential for success in professional and vocational arenas.

Primarily, the Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund intends to honor “the warrior spirit,” Dr. Jones said, “the spirit of courage and bravery” that has helped to keep the United States free.

The Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund is now open for tax-deductible contributions. Interested parties may e-mail Dr. Jones at: drjones@jonesfoundation.net or phone her at 606-875- 2967.

Foundation launches Reid S. Jones Memorial Fund with contribution honoring James ‘Onion’ Eastham