Howard "Buster" Jones' connection to the University of Arkansas goes back to a great-great uncle who, as a mason, helped to build Old Main. Many people in his immediate and extended family attended U of A System schools, including Buster Jones, his parents, sister, wife, father-in-law, daughter, son, three grandchildren and three uncles.

These deep family ties to the university inspired Jones and his late wife, Sharon Young Jones, to honor their heritage with a gift to the Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research Center, completed in the summer of 2021. The 37,400-square-foot center provides research and teaching laboratories related to materials testing for civil engineering students and faculty.

Buster Jones said the contribution will enable civil engineering students and faculty to engage in research and teaching to further the good of the profession of engineering.

"The University of Arkansas has always been a family topic, whether talking about how education has contributed to our success or the Razorbacks as an item of state pride," he said. "We are proud to contribute to the U of A,  which has such meaning in our lives."

He studied civil engineering, graduating with a bachelor's degree from U of A in 1962. Sharon Young Jones earned a Bachelor of Science from U of A in 1961.

A conference room in the center will be named Jones Family Heritage in acknowledgement of the gift.