Rhubarb Jones
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Warren "Rhubarb" Jones (August 9, 1951 – April 2, 2017) was an American DJ at WYAY "Eagle 106.7" in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. He was the longest running morning radio personality in the Atlanta radio market, having been at the 106.7 spot on the FM dial from January 1985 to February 29, 2008.


Life and career

Warren Jones was born in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
and grew up in
Tallapoosa, Georgia Tallapoosa is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, Haralson County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The population was 3,170 at the 2010 census, up from 2,789 at the 2000 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tallapoosa as a t ...
. His first job in radio was at WPID in
Piedmont, Alabama Piedmont is a city in Calhoun and Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Anniston- Oxford, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is approximately one an ...
. He worked his way through West Georgia College by working in radio at WWCC in
Bremen, Georgia Bremen ( ) is a city in Haralson County, Georgia, Haralson and Carroll County, Georgia, Carroll counties, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,185 up from ...
. Upon
graduation A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...
, Rhubarb moved to
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...
, and worked at
WCLS WCLS (97.7 FM) is a radio station licensed to Spencer, Indiana, United States, the station serves the Bloomington area with a classic hits format. The station is owned by Mid-America Radio of Indiana. The station is an affiliate of the IndyC ...
. He later got into
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
radio when he moved to WSKY AM in
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...
. In 1978, Rhubarb headed to
WLWI-FM WLWI-FM (92.3 FM, "I-92") is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing, Inc. The WLWI studios are located on the third fl ...
(I-92) in
Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...
, where he served as program and music director and did the afternoon drive show. Jones was widely known for his charity events like the Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Tournament for the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1949, is a voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer world-wide. LLS funds blood cancer research on cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin ...
and his annual March Across Georgia for the LLS. Rhubarb was also an Atlanta co-host for the annual
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related Neuromuscular disease, neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived wi ...
Telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
with
WAGA Waga or WAGA may refer to: Broadcasting * WAGA-TV, a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. * WVEE, a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, formerly WAGA-FM from 1948 to 1959 * WDWD, a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, formerly WAGA from 1 ...
TV 5
weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...
caster A caster (or castor) is an undriven wheel that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a larger object (the "vehicle") to enable that object to be moved. Casters are used in numerous applications, including shopping carts, office chairs, t ...
Ken Cook. Jones was a past winner of Radio Personality of the Year from the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...
and the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
and served on the board of directors for both organizations. He was a past Disc Jockey of the Year award recipient, from ''
Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
'', and was voted one of Country Music's Top Radio Personalities of the Century by ''Radio and Records Magazine''. Rhubarb was a lifetime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. He was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in June 2001. In 2007, he was one of the first inductees into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. He had a few small acting parts on television ('' In the Heat of the Night'') and movies ('' Major League: Back to the Minors'', ''
Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay by Gregory Allen Howard is loosely based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed b ...
''). He was also a ring announcer for
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
from 1989 to 1992.


Later career

Jones was appointed to the Georgia State Board of Technical and Adult Education in 1998 and served as vice-
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
from 2003 to 2005. He served on the
adult literacy Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...
committee of DTAE and on the board until January 2007. He also served on the
board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
of his college
alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
, the University of West Georgia. In May 2006, the UWG booster club honored him with the establishment of the Rhubarb Jones
Scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
for needy and deserving students at the University of West Georgia. Jones held a Master of Arts degree from Shorter College. He was inducted into
Sigma Beta Delta Sigma Beta Delta () is an international scholastic honor society that recognizes academic achievement among students in the fields of business, management, and administration. It was established in 1994 in La Jolla, California. History Sigma B ...
honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...
of business,
management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...
, and administration in April 2006. In September 2006, Jones was appointed to the board of visitors of Shorter College, and in January 2007 was honored by being named in the ''Who's Who Among American Universities & Colleges''. On February 29, 2008, Jones was dismissed from WYAY, along with 12 others from WYAY and
sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
WKHX-FM WKHX-FM (101.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Marietta, Georgia, featuring a country music format known as "New Country 101.5". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. WKHX-FM's studios are loca ...
. On April 21, 2008, it was announced that Jones would be a senior director of development and a member of adjunct faculty as a distinguished lecturer of
mass communications Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...
at
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in the Kennesaw area and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was founded ...
in
Kennesaw, Georgia Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under i ...
. He also served as director of special projects for KSU as a senior development officer. On August 16, 2014, Rhubarb began hosting a weekend show on KOOL Classic Hits WRBZ 95.5 in Montgomery. This once again joined Rhubarb with Don Day, whom he teamed up with in 1978 as part of the air staff at WLWI in Montgomery.


Family

Jones died while married to his fourth wife, Donna (m. 1999); the couple had two daughters, Presley Frances and Callie Reeves


Death

Jones died on April 2, 2017, at the age of 65 in
Haralson County, Georgia Haralson County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,919,US 2020 Census Bureau report, Haralson County, Georgia up from 28,780 in 2010. The county seat is Buchanan. Th ...
, following a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Rhubarb 1951 births 2017 deaths Radio personalities from Atlanta People from Tallapoosa, Georgia