Active 8 years, 3 months ago
1937-2024
Gary D. Jones
Gary Douglas Jones, 87, died on December 9, 2024 in Birmingham, AL, after a brief illness. He was born on April 17, 1937, in Pennsylvania and grew up in Bridgeville. Gary was a Charter Member of NAC and very active in its early years, serving as Chair in 2003.
Gary was a gifted athlete, starring in football, soccer, and golf at Bridgeville High School. After a year at Columbia University where he played freshman football, he returned to Bridgeville in order to be reunited with his high school sweetheart and future wife, Nancy Hilty. He transferred to Carnegie Tech where he studied Civil Engineering and played football as the team's running back for three years prior to earning his degree in 1959. By the time Gary was a senior at Carnegie Tech he was married, renting a house, had an infant child, and was working at a gas station in the evening. All of this was on top of studying Civil Engineering and, in the fall semester, playing football.
Gary’s first job out of college was working on a paper mill project in South Carolina for the Rust Engineering Company. Ted Kennedy, one of the founders of BE&K, was also on the paper mill project.
In the early 1970s, Rust reassigned Gary to company headquarters in Birmingham, AL. By the early 1980s he was a company vice president. When Rust merged with Kellogg to form Kellogg-Rust in 1982, he was named President, Construction Division. In October 1983, Kellogg-Rust joined the Construction Industry Institute as a charter member. Gary was elected to serve as the chairman of the first Construction Industry Institute (CII) Annual Conference. The CII Board of Advisors then elected Gary to serve as CII chairman in 1987. Gary went to work for Morrison-Knudson in 1987 where he served as President and CEO of MK-Ferguson Company from 1987 to 1991.
Gary was hired as President of BE&K’s Process Division to oversee the process business and the new DuPont alliance in 1991. Gary was a former officer with Kellog-Rust, so he was well known and respected by many BE&K employees in Birmingham. BE&K’s biggest expansion outside of its corporate office in Birmingham took place in 1991 when the Delaware office was opened in Newark. It was officially opened on December 2, 1991, with 200 employees, when Gary cut the ribbon at the new Ashford Building.
In 1996, Gary took on additional responsibilities for BE&K’s Maintenance Division and BE&K’s F. N. Thompson commercial construction company in Charlotte, NC. He retired in 2002.
In addition to CII and NAC, Gary was active in the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). In 1992, Gary hosted a forum for NAWIC in Birmingham with over two hundred attendees from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. He also served as the Chair of the National Constructors Association in 1980, served on the Business Roundtable Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness committee and received the CII Carroll H. Dunn Award of Excellence in 1993.
Gary always emphasized safety. Gary was driving back from BE&K’s Mobile, Alabama office when his car hydroplaned, fishtailed, and spun out into multiple 360 degree turns. Soon thereafter, he wrote an article in the BE&K newsletter on what to do when your car hydroplanes.
Gary was also a big believer in partnering. He authored an article in the February 1994 issue of Iron and Steel Engineering Magazine citing the work of the Construction Industry Institute report entitled “In Search of Partnering Excellence.” Gary was a proponent of relationships, trust, and commitment.
As NAC member and friend Mike Goodrich relates, “Gary was a true professional, an engineer’s engineer. He was one of those unique individuals who was as comfortable in a Board room setting as he was talking to a laborer in the field. He made a significant contribution to the success of BE&K and was beloved and respected by all his colleagues at BE&K.”
Gary and his wife, Nancy, were close friends of Betty and the late Bob Miller, former Vice President of DuPont Engineering. The Millers and the Jones each owned homes in Telluride and took many trips together. As Betty Miller stated, “Nancy and Gary were such good friends. We had many adventures together and on a road trip we found the Mesa in Telluride together. We built a house, and they followed ten years later. They were so wonderful to me after Bob died, including me in many outings. I served on the Wilson Mesa Homeowners' Board for many years with him and Gary was always a wealth of information and guidance. He will be missed by many, but he is in a better place.” Gary and Nancy were also close friends with Richard and Shirley Tucker, taking a number of trips together as well.
Residing in Birmingham, Gary shared a wonderful life with his devoted wife of 66 years, Nancy Jones. Together, they demonstrated a devotion and partnership that went beyond love. It was a relationship designed by God and lived out with such grace and genuine care. Gary and Nancy built a home filled with wonderful memories. From Birmingham to Houston to the Telluride Mesa, they created a gathering place for several generations of the Jones family.
Gary is survived by his wife of 66 years, Nancy. He is also survived by three sons, Douglas (Jacqulyn), Donald (Lisa) and Kenneth (Shelly); five grandchildren, Cody, Maggie, Maxfield, Griffin and Baylor, and two great grandchildren, Wyatt and Emma. His spirit continues to shine through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Throughout his life, Gary dedicated himself to his pursuit of God, family, and love for the outdoors. Whether it was fishing on the San Miguel River, tending to his birds, or engaging in lively discussions about history and politics or his Steelers, Gary was always authentic and always engaging. Gary’s legacy will live on in the hearts of those who were privileged to know him.
As quoted from Gary on Tuesday, August 06, 2013: “At the age of 76 I have been asked the question--What have you accomplished in this life? Clearly the business titles and awards have a short shelf life and business associates fade quickly. My answer--as a believer I have had the privilege of creating "blessing by association" for family, friends, community, and country."
His friends and family will dearly miss Gary’s engaging personality and passion for life.
― Mike Goodrich and Edd Gibson, 2025
Gary was a gifted athlete, starring in football, soccer, and golf at Bridgeville High School. After a year at Columbia University where he played freshman football, he returned to Bridgeville in order to be reunited with his high school sweetheart and future wife, Nancy Hilty. He transferred to Carnegie Tech where he studied Civil Engineering and played football as the team's running back for three years prior to earning his degree in 1959. By the time Gary was a senior at Carnegie Tech he was married, renting a house, had an infant child, and was working at a gas station in the evening. All of this was on top of studying Civil Engineering and, in the fall semester, playing football.
Gary’s first job out of college was working on a paper mill project in South Carolina for the Rust Engineering Company. Ted Kennedy, one of the founders of BE&K, was also on the paper mill project.
In the early 1970s, Rust reassigned Gary to company headquarters in Birmingham, AL. By the early 1980s he was a company vice president. When Rust merged with Kellogg to form Kellogg-Rust in 1982, he was named President, Construction Division. In October 1983, Kellogg-Rust joined the Construction Industry Institute as a charter member. Gary was elected to serve as the chairman of the first Construction Industry Institute (CII) Annual Conference. The CII Board of Advisors then elected Gary to serve as CII chairman in 1987. Gary went to work for Morrison-Knudson in 1987 where he served as President and CEO of MK-Ferguson Company from 1987 to 1991.
Gary was hired as President of BE&K’s Process Division to oversee the process business and the new DuPont alliance in 1991. Gary was a former officer with Kellog-Rust, so he was well known and respected by many BE&K employees in Birmingham. BE&K’s biggest expansion outside of its corporate office in Birmingham took place in 1991 when the Delaware office was opened in Newark. It was officially opened on December 2, 1991, with 200 employees, when Gary cut the ribbon at the new Ashford Building.
In 1996, Gary took on additional responsibilities for BE&K’s Maintenance Division and BE&K’s F. N. Thompson commercial construction company in Charlotte, NC. He retired in 2002.
In addition to CII and NAC, Gary was active in the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). In 1992, Gary hosted a forum for NAWIC in Birmingham with over two hundred attendees from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. He also served as the Chair of the National Constructors Association in 1980, served on the Business Roundtable Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness committee and received the CII Carroll H. Dunn Award of Excellence in 1993.
Gary always emphasized safety. Gary was driving back from BE&K’s Mobile, Alabama office when his car hydroplaned, fishtailed, and spun out into multiple 360 degree turns. Soon thereafter, he wrote an article in the BE&K newsletter on what to do when your car hydroplanes.
Gary was also a big believer in partnering. He authored an article in the February 1994 issue of Iron and Steel Engineering Magazine citing the work of the Construction Industry Institute report entitled “In Search of Partnering Excellence.” Gary was a proponent of relationships, trust, and commitment.
As NAC member and friend Mike Goodrich relates, “Gary was a true professional, an engineer’s engineer. He was one of those unique individuals who was as comfortable in a Board room setting as he was talking to a laborer in the field. He made a significant contribution to the success of BE&K and was beloved and respected by all his colleagues at BE&K.”
Gary and his wife, Nancy, were close friends of Betty and the late Bob Miller, former Vice President of DuPont Engineering. The Millers and the Jones each owned homes in Telluride and took many trips together. As Betty Miller stated, “Nancy and Gary were such good friends. We had many adventures together and on a road trip we found the Mesa in Telluride together. We built a house, and they followed ten years later. They were so wonderful to me after Bob died, including me in many outings. I served on the Wilson Mesa Homeowners' Board for many years with him and Gary was always a wealth of information and guidance. He will be missed by many, but he is in a better place.” Gary and Nancy were also close friends with Richard and Shirley Tucker, taking a number of trips together as well.
Residing in Birmingham, Gary shared a wonderful life with his devoted wife of 66 years, Nancy Jones. Together, they demonstrated a devotion and partnership that went beyond love. It was a relationship designed by God and lived out with such grace and genuine care. Gary and Nancy built a home filled with wonderful memories. From Birmingham to Houston to the Telluride Mesa, they created a gathering place for several generations of the Jones family.
Gary is survived by his wife of 66 years, Nancy. He is also survived by three sons, Douglas (Jacqulyn), Donald (Lisa) and Kenneth (Shelly); five grandchildren, Cody, Maggie, Maxfield, Griffin and Baylor, and two great grandchildren, Wyatt and Emma. His spirit continues to shine through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Throughout his life, Gary dedicated himself to his pursuit of God, family, and love for the outdoors. Whether it was fishing on the San Miguel River, tending to his birds, or engaging in lively discussions about history and politics or his Steelers, Gary was always authentic and always engaging. Gary’s legacy will live on in the hearts of those who were privileged to know him.
As quoted from Gary on Tuesday, August 06, 2013: “At the age of 76 I have been asked the question--What have you accomplished in this life? Clearly the business titles and awards have a short shelf life and business associates fade quickly. My answer--as a believer I have had the privilege of creating "blessing by association" for family, friends, community, and country."
His friends and family will dearly miss Gary’s engaging personality and passion for life.
― Mike Goodrich and Edd Gibson, 2025
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