Edward D. "Ted" Jones

He devoted his last years along with his wife Pat Jones to establishing the Katy Trail State Park and the Prairie Fork Conservation Area in Missouri.

[1][2] Following graduation from the Taylor School in 1943, Jones enlisted in the Merchant Marines during World War II, then served in the United States Army in 1946 before returning to the University of Missouri in 1947 to study agriculture.

[6][7] While conducting business in rural Missouri and Illinois, Jones proposed that the company begin opening offices outside of St.

[9] Jones’ expansion philosophy focused on towns of 20,000 to 35,000 people, many of which did not have access to personal brokers selling mutual funds, unit trusts and tax-free bonds.

[11] In the last 10 years of his life, he donated $2.2 million for Missouri to acquire property along 200 miles of abandoned Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad rail tracks to form a bicycle path for the Katy Trail State Park.