Wendell R. Jones, Bowling Green State University’s first full-time percussion faculty member, died June 17, 2014 at age 82. He was widely known throughout Ohio as an advocate for music education, particularly percussion instruments. He excelled at playing marimba and vibraphone and performed as a soloist with several ensembles as well as his own Wendell Jones Trio. After he retired from BGSU in 1992, he enjoyed asecond career as a lawyer, having earned a law degree from the University of Toledo in 1985. 

Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in music education at Ohio State as OSU’s first percussion graduate. He was especially proud of his association with the Ohio State Marching band. After graduation, he taught and was a free-lance musician in the Columbus area, including a stint as staff musician with WCMH-TV. He also was the featured marimba player with the Xavier Cugat band, a legendary Latin American ensemble. He performed with many touring musical groups, including Melissa Manchester, Frankie Laine, Bob Hope, Glen Campbell, John Davidson and Harry Belafonte. He also was a long-time member of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, Jones recorded a CD of his music with bassist Jeff Halsey and Chris Buzzelli on guitar.  At BGSU he introduced the study and performance of jazz, which at that time was not commonly a part of collegiate music curricula. He was a founding member of the BGSU Jazz Ensemble as well as several student groups including the Marimba Sextet. He brought many jazz artists to BGSU starting in the early 1970s, and in 1980 he was instrumental in starting Jazz Week at BGSU. He often played the vibes with the visiting performers, including Marion McPartland, Clark Terry, Jiggs Wigham, Art Van Damme and Urbie Green. He also received several grants to support jazz on campus. His work was rewarded in 1988 when the College of Musical Arts announced it was offering a bachelor of music degree with an emphasis in jazz. He retired from the University in 1992 as a Professor Emeritus of Performance Studies.