Jenk Jones Jr.

Voices of Oklahoma

The grandfather of Jenkin “Jenk” Lloyd Jones Jr., Richard Lloyd Jones, bought the Tulsa Democrat from Charles Page (the founder of Sand Springs, OK) and turned it into the Tulsa Tribune. The Tribune was an afternoon newspaper and was consistently a republican paper; it never endorsed a democrat for U.S. president and did not endorse a democrat for governor until 1958.
Richard’s son, Jenkin Lloyd Jones Sr., was editor of the Tribune from 1941 to 1988, and publisher until 1991. Jenkin Jones’s brother, Richard Lloyd Jones Jr., served as the Tribune’s president. R. L. Jones Jr. airport in Tulsa is named for Richard Lloyd Jones Jr.
Richard Lloyd Jones had two sons, both served in WWII, who would carry on work at the Tribune—Jenkin Lloyd Jones Sr. and Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. The younger of the two, Jenkin Sr., was editor at the paper from 1941 to 1988 and publisher until 1991. Richard Jr. served as the Tribune’s president. He also championed the aviation industry in Tulsa, OK and the R. L. Jones Jr. airport in Tulsa is named after him.
Other Jones family members worked in various capacities at the paper, including Jenkin’s son, Jenkin “Jenk” Lloyd Jones Jr., who was the last publisher and editor of the paper which closed September 30, 1992. Like other large city evening newspapers, its readership had declined, causing financial losses.
Jenk Jones spent thirty-two years at the Tulsa Tribune in jobs ranging from reporter to editor and publisher. He specialized in travel and political writing, covering eight national conventions and served on numerous state and national journalism committees. Jenk also taught journalism and political history at more than one university, served as docent at Gilcrease museum and received the Nature Conservancy’s conservation award. He is also a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and the University of Tulsa Hall of Fame.