Loyal Jones (January 5, 1928 – October 7, 2023) was an American folklorist, Appalachian culture scholar, and writer.[1][2]
Loyal Jones was born in Marble, North Carolina, on January 5, 1928,[3] one of eight siblings in a farming family.[4] At the age of 12, his family moved to Brasstown, North Carolina, in proximity to the John C. Campbell Folk School established in 1925.[4] After completing high school, he served in the U.S. Navy towards the end of World War II.[4]
Jones pursued higher education upon recommendation from an individual associated with the folk school.[4] Jones earned his B.A. in English from Berea College and an M.A. from the University of North Carolina.[4] Before joining Berea College as a faculty member, he taught in the U.S. Army and at Jefferson County Public Schools.[4]
Jones began working at the Council of the Southern Mountains in 1958 and served as the organization's executive director from 1967 until 1970.[3] From 1970 to 1993, Jones directed Berea College's Appalachian Center.[4] He was considered the "father of modern Appalachian studies".[3] In 2008, the center was named the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center after him.[5] Jones was inducted into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame in 2022.[6]
Loyal Jones died in Black Mountain, North Carolina, on October 7, 2023, at the age of 95.[3]