Pictured left to right are: Tom Jones with his mother, Ruth Jones, and SGTC President Sparky Reeves. Reeves presented Mrs. Jones with a framed certificate thanking her for her new scholarship endowment.

Ruth Jones provides new educational opportunities for SGTC Culinary Arts students
Tuesday July 27, 2010
Mrs. Ruth Jones has endowed a new scholarship at South Georgia Technical College to benefit culinary arts students. This is Mrs. Jones fourth endowed scholarship and it was established and endowed in memory of Mrs. Jones mother, Burrelle C. Strickland.

The new scholarship has been named the Burrelle C. Strickland Culinary Arts Scholarship or “Miss Burrelle’s Caramel Cake Scholarship. The new scholarship was endowed with a gift of $5,000 to the South Georgia Technical College Foundation. South Georgia Technical College President Sparky Reeves accepted the donation.

The Burrelle C. Strickland scholarship will provide an annual $250 scholarship to South Georgia Technical College culinary arts students.

“We are very appreciative of Ruth Jones and her willingness to partner with South Georgia Technical College,” said South Georgia Technical College President Sparky Reeves. “Ruth has recognized the value of giving the gift of education to students who are interested in pursuing specific career paths. These endowed scholarships are also an excellent opportunity for her to honor the memory of a loved one.”

Mrs. Jones endowed her first scholarship in 2005 in memory of her husband, Phil Jones, and his life-long friend, Alfred “Foots” Harris. The Jones-Harris Scholarship is designated to students in the automotive program.

Since then, she has endowed the Leon F. Strickland Endowed Scholarship for welding students in memory of her father and the Phil and Louise Jones, Sr. scholarship in memory of her husband’s parents.

Ruth Jones’ mother, the former Burrelle Chappell, was married to her father, Leon Strickland, for 59 years. They had three daughters, Mrs. Ruth Strickland Jones of Americus; Burrelle Strickland Meeks of Lilburn; and Anne Strickland Bradburn of New Orleans. Mr. Strickland was a Coca-Cola bottle dealer and a Standard Oil Company dealer in Richland.

“Mama was a great cook and she made the best caramel cakes. I think she would be pleased that her name is being associated with students who love to cook and are studying culinary arts as a career,” said Mrs. Jones when she endowed the scholarship.

Ruth and her late husband, Phil, had three sons: Leon Strickland Jones (named in honor of her father), Phillip Jones in Wilmington, N.C., and Tom Jones of Americus who works at South Georgia Technical College in the IT department.

The Burrelle C. Strickland or “Miss Burrelle’s Caramel Cake culinary arts scholarship endowment will guarantee indefinite educational opportunities that will impact students at SGTC for many years.

“I would like to express my appreciation to Ruth Jones for considering South Georgia Technical College in remembering her loved one. We are excited about the opportunities this will bring to our students now and for years to come,” concluded Reeves.

For more information about endowing a scholarship at South Georgia Technical College, contact Su Ann Bird, Director of Resource Development and Marketing at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu.