$2,500 Scholarship to be Awarded Annually to Civil Engineering Student
New Orleans, LA – The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) and the Tower Family Foundation yesterday announced the creation of the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship at the University of Evansville in Evansville, IN. The announcement, honoring the legacy of the late Ernie Jones, was made at the Awards Luncheon during the annual NATE UNITE 2016 Conference here.
The Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship will be a $2,500 scholarship awarded annually to a junior or senior level civil engineering student at the University of Evansville’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Ernie Jones, 65, died October 21, 2015 while inspecting a 1,500-foot KOCO-TV tower in Oklahoma City, OK. Jones was a structural engineer who worked in the broadcast tower industry for 30 years. He was considered a living icon of the modern-day tower industry. During his career, he served as a professional engineer and president of Consolidated Engineering, Inc., and a vice-president of structural engineering at Electronics Research, Inc. He was also a participating member of the TR-14.7 Committee of the Telecommunications Industry Association and Electronics Industry Association since 1986, where he assisted with writing and approving the ANSI-TIA/EIA 222 standard which is the American National Standard for Steel Antenna Towers and Antenna Supporting Structures. He also provided consulting to the National Association of Broadcasters on tower issues.
“On behalf of both NATE and the Tower Family Foundation, we are honored to recognize the legacy of Ernie Jones through the formal establishment of this scholarship program at the University of Evansville’s College of Engineering,” said Tower Family Foundation Board of Directors member and former NATE Chairman Jim Coleman. “Ernie was one of the most prominent structural engineers in the United States and his contributions to NATE and the entire industry made an indelible impact on safety,” added Coleman.
“The University of Evansville’s College of Engineering is excited to begin offering the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship to a deserving student for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year,” said Dr. Brian Swenty, who serves as the Chair of the Mechanical and Civil Engineering Department. “The faculty and staff at the University of Evansville’s College of Engineering and Computer Science are committed to honoring Ernie Jones through this program and educating the next generation of civil and structural engineers.”
“On behalf of our entire family, we are humbled by this civil engineering scholarship that has been created in Ernie’s name,” declared Jones’ widow, Kathy Jones, who attended the event. “I am honored to see that Ernie’s contributions to the industry will continue through the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship at the University of Evansville.”
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