James R. Jones

Wabash Valley profiles : a series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history

Description:	One typed page including photograph; biography of James Ramon Jones, one of the great writers of his generation. ABASH VALLEY WP R O F I L E SA series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history.James R. JonesAcclaimed as one of the great writers of his generation after publishing From Here to Eternity in 1951, Robinson native James Ramon Jones was rarely mentioned as a distinguished fiction writer once Eternitys popularity waned. Things have changed. From Here to Eternity has been singled out by critics as one of the top 100 novels of the 20th century; The Thin Red Line, a movie based on Jones novel, was nominated for several Academy Awards in 1998; and Whistle, a film based on a novel he was writing at his death, is scheduled for release this year. In addition, the James Jones Literary Society, which sponsors an annual symposium at the University of Illinois and endows the James Jones First Novel Fellowship Award, is instrumental in preserving the authors memory. Born in Robinson Nov. 6, 1921, Jones was the product of a troubled youth. His father Ramon, a dentist, was financially devastated during the Depression. He joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1939, serving in the 25th Tropic Lightning Infantry at Schofield Barracks and attending writing classes at the University of Hawaii. In 1941, he learned that his mother Ada had died. Jones witnessed the Dec. 7 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while on guard duty. In early 1942, his father committed suicide. Wounded in action at Guadalcanal in 1943, Jones was returned to Robinson for a furlough, suffering deep depression. In November, his Aunt Sadie introduced him to neighbor Harry Hap Handy and his wife Lowney (Turner) Handy, who eventually helped James through his depression and changed his life. On July 6, 1944 Jones moved to the Handys residence at 202 W. Mulberry St. A self-educated intellectual, Lowney began tutoring Jones and encouraging his writing. There he began From Here to Eternity. Together, Lowney and James began assisting other writers as Hap built a special retreat near Marshall in a pasture owned by his mother Loudell Handy. By late 1949 several cabins had been erected. From Here to Eternity, an immediate best-seller, was released in 1951 and was sold to Columbia Pictures for $82,000. Jones donated sizable earnings to Handy Colony over the next few years. A feature story in Life magazine on May 7, 1951, brought national renown and many sightseers to the summer colony and the community of Marshall. Jones second novel, Some Came Running, and the sale of movie rights generated more publicity in 1957. Handy, Jones and other colony writers spent winters in the South as James began work on The Thin Red Line. In early 1958, Jones wed Gloria Patricia Mosolino. After a short, but volatile residency in Clark County, the newlyweds departed for France, and Jones withdrew all support to the Handy Colony. Daughter Kaylie Ann (now a novelist) was born in Paris on Aug. 5, 1960. Most of James remaining work -- Go to the Widow-Maker, The Ice Cream Headache and Other Stories, The Merry Month of May, A Touch of Danger, Viet Journal and WWII -- was written in Europe and Jamaica. In 1974, he was writer-in-residence at Florida International University. The next year the Jones family moved to Sagaponack, Long Island, N.Y., where James died May 9, 1977, at age 55. Whistle was published posthumously in 1978.TERRE HAUTE(812) 238-6000NATIONAL BANKAlways Close to HomeDate published: May 4, 2000Filename: Jones, James profile
Origin:	2000-05-03
Created By:	McCormick, Mike
Publisher:	Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Source:	http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/vchs/id/554
Collection:	Vigo County Historical Society
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Undetermined
Subjects:	Jones, James, 1921-1977 Authors Famous Hoosiers People

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