Do you ever wonder about the people for whom buildings on TWU campuses are named?
Mary Gibbs Jones, a Texas native who dedicated her life to humanitarian and philanthropic endeavors, has been honored on both the Denton and Houston campuses.
Mary Gibbs was born in Mexia and grew up with nine brothers and sisters in a home filled with music and books. She attended Methodist College in Waco at a time when few women went to college or even finished high school. She married Houston businessman Jesse H. Jones, and the couple began making donations to colleges, hospitals and other civic institutions.
The Houston campus pays tribute to the Houston Endowment, which Gibbs Jones and her husband founded to help create and develop institutions and organizations that would nurture Houston’s people and encourage the city’s growth.
Texas Woman’s relationship with Houston Endowment Inc. goes back several decades. The Houston Endowment was among organizations contributing funds toward the construction of the original TWU Houston Center, which opened in 1960 in the Texas Medical Center and included Mary Gibbs Jones Hall. The Houston Endowment also contributed to the current facility, which opened in 2006. The Houston Endowment Room is the largest lecture hall on the campus.
The philanthropic organization also has provided funds for TWU programs, faculty research, and scholarships.
Mary Gibbs Jones Hall on the Denton campus was a residence hall for senior students when it opened in 1961. Today, the building houses Student Health Services, ID Services and other offices.
Gibbs Jones received an honorary doctor of laws degree from TWU in 1958, the second such degree presented by the university.
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This is the 12th story in an occasional series on the history behind TWU buildings.
Previous stories:
Part I — Stoddard Hall
Part II — Student Union
Part III — Blagg-Huey Library
Part IV — Stark and Guinn residence halls
Part V – TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences – Dallas Center
Part VI — Ann Stuart Science Complex
Part VII — Bralley Annex
Part VIII — Margo Jones Performance Hall
Part IX – Woodcock Hall
Part X — Kitty Magee Arena
Part XI — Hubbard Hall