By Malinda MillerĢż(Engl, Jourā92; MJourā98))
Witty. Funny. Patient. Mentor. Student-focused. Zen.
These are a few of the descriptions that started popping up in emails from alumni we reached out to whenĢżSteve Jones, a journalism instructor and assistant dean for student success, announced that heāll retire in December after 44Ģżyears.
āOh, my gosh, anything for Steve,ā responded Tessa Diestel (Jourā18), a production assistant at ESPN, who described him as a wonderful storyteller and professor withĢżāthe greatest sly sense of humor and the best tie collection.ā
Ariana Freeman (Jourā18) remembers how students could depend on his door to be open and his candy jar full.
āI first met Steve on my visit to Ā鶹Ćā·Ń°ęĻĀŌŲthe summer of 2015. He not only convinced me that Ā鶹Ćā·Ń°ęĻĀŌŲwas the best place to go to chase my journalism dreams, but he never hesitated to help when asked,ā says Freeman, now a journalist at CBS News.
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Steve has so manyĢżtiesĢżwith CMCIĢżalumni from throughout the yearsā
The request for memories also sent several former students on a search for images from decades ago. Michael Davies (Jourā94), senior vice president of field operations for Fox Sports, went to look through the 5,000 photos that heād paid his 12-year-old to scan. āYou know how I found this in my Google photos? I searched āmustache.ā True story,ā he told us.
Tom Costello (Jourā87), a correspondent at NBC News, recalled Steveās knowledge of a Ā鶹Ćā·Ń°ęĻĀŌŲnewscast tape that heās grateful has never surfaced.
āLetās just say I tested the FCCās āno vulgarityā rule while anchoring one day in 1986. After graduating, I always returned to Boulder to guest lecture whenever Steve asked, fearful that otherwise that tape might mysteriously find its way out of Steveās desk drawer,ā Costello says.
Jones started his career at Ā鶹Ćā·Ń°ęĻĀŌŲin 1976 as an assistant professor in the Department of Communication. While teaching broadcast production classes, he built the production side of live student newscasts on the Boulder cable television system and developed the livestreaming system as a way for his advanced television production students to gain additional experience.
Jones has also served in a number of administrative positions in the former school of journalism and CMCI, as Jim Gray (Advertā81), a longtime sportscaster at Showtime, Fox and Westwood One Radio, noted.
āSteve Jones was the pillar of strength and stability for the school of journalism for decades,āĢżGray says. āHe was the glue that brought the faculty, administration and students together.ā
Almost everyone we reached out to emphasized that Jones played an integral role in helping launch their careers. Recent graduate Lina Takahashi (Jourā19), who is now at NBC Sports Group, says, āSteve is the most well-connected person, and I knew I could always turn to him for advice on internship/career choices.ā
Denver7 News Director Holly Gauntt (Jourā84) added, āSteve is the reason Iām a broadcast journalist.ĢżHe had such passion for the profession, and his enthusiasm was infectious!ĢżHe taught so many of us, so well.ā
Amid the challenges of the past year, Jones has remained a critical voice of support for current students. Vinay Simlot, who is on track to graduate in May 2021 with degrees in aerospace engineering and journalism, appreciates Jonesā attitude of taking āwork seriously without being serious all the time.ā
āMy favorite jokes heās told about my work are, āIt seems like Vinay missed the focus lesson,ā or, āDid you shoot that video in an earthquake?āā says Simlot, who has worked with Jones for several years in classes and on the student-run television show Buff Sports Live.
āRegardless of how much he worked, or how many challenges he had that week, he made us feel like he was happy to see us and that we were the most important thing he did.ā
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