Nancy Bondurant Jones Papers

Nancy Bondurant Jones (1930-2017) was a well-known writer and historian in the Shenandoah Valley. She was born to Dr. Charles H. and Therma Barclay Bondurant in Roanoke. In 1956, she married Phillip Lawrence Jones, who passed away in 1979. She had two daughters, three sons, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren at the time of her death in December 2017.

Jones began her extensive teaching and writing career by getting her Bachelor of Arts at Shepherd College in West Virginia in 1953. Beyond Shepherd, she did additional work at George Washington University, University of Maryland, James Madison University, and University of Virginia. She also received fellowships from the University of Virginia and American University.

After twenty-nine years of teaching at schools in Montgomery County, Maryland and in Rockingham County at Elkton and Turner Ashby high schools, Jones spent the reminder of her career as a freelance writer. Her writing extended across newspapers, journals, speeches, and published books. Some of her most notable writing was done for the local newspaper, the Daily News-Record in which she wrote a weekly column, “Remembrances,” for eleven years based on personal memories supported with historical fact. After completing her writing for the DNR, she went on to contribute columns and articles to the Staunton-based paper eightyone, and to JMU’s Montpelier magazine. Jones also penned over a dozen books for various local businesses and organizations. Some notable titles include: Rooted on Bluestone Hill: A History of James Madison University (2004), Called to Care: A History of the Nursing Program at Rockingham Memorial Hospital (2004), and Ageless Legacy: A History of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (2004), all of which were nominated for the Library of Virginia’s outstanding non-fiction award.

Outside of her writing career, Jones was active in the local and statewide community. In 1983, she ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates District 27. She was also the former president of the Harrisonburg Pilot Club, the Rockingham Country Teacher’s Association, and the Shenandoah Branch of the National Association of American Pen Women. Beyond these organizations, Jones served on the boards of Greater Madison at JMU, the Sorenson Institute, and the Arts Council of the Valley. Personally, she was a member of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church and opened one of the first bed and breakfasts in the area in the mid-1980s.

For her extensive work through teaching, writing, and community involvement Jones was given a few honors including being cited in the 1989/1990 edition of Who’s Who in American Education and being named Women of the Year in 2000 by the Working Women’s Forum.

In addition to all this work, Jones also worked at JMU for eight years. After retiring from teaching English at Turner Ashby High School in 1989, Jones began working for JMU in former President Dr. Ronald E. Carrier’s office as the social events coordinator for Carrier and his wife, Edith. Soon she began writing Dr. Carrier's speeches and other documents as requested.In the early 1990s, Dr. Carrier commissioned her to write a book on the history of JMU that would appeal to a general audience. This book, Rooted on Bluestone Hill, was published in 2004.