Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/727077
39 HONORARY CAPTAINS By Carsten Parmenter (Northwestern Athletics) Community. That's the word that keeps coming up when Dan Jones talks about Northwestern. It is why he feels so strongly about giving back to the university, both financially and with his time. "Northwestern is my community, and it is the place where my wife and I want to volunteer," Jones said. Dan '60, '61 and his wife Susan '63 have made it a mission of sorts to increase alumni engagement across the country. Dan is the immediate past president of the Northwestern Alumni Association, and Susan currently sits on the board of the NU Club of Greater Naples. A key to building a strong Northwestern community, according to Jones: school spirit. "When I was a student, the spirit of the student body was extremely high," Jones said, alluding to the Ara Parseghian era, when the Wildcats were one of the best teams in the country and annually produced All-Americans. "That positive spirit is an important part of the overall experience as a student and as an alum of Northwestern." Jones says that spirit came back when Northwestern went to the Rose Bowl after the 1995 season, and he credits that kind of success to some very good coaching and team leadership. "I felt like a successful football program came from its head coach," Jones said. "And that was very important to school spirit." The Jones family, including daughter Kate '91 and her husband, Dan Cavanagh, '92, '96, '99, had already been long-time donors to the university, but they decided to signify the importance of the head coach at Northwestern, endowing the position 10 years ago soon before Randy Walker tragically passed away and Pat Fitzgerald began his tenure. The last two decades of Northwestern football have been particularly special for the Jones family, seeing the program evolve from the success of Gary Barnett and Walker to now with Fitzgerald doing "a terrific job." The Jones' are proud of their endowment of the head coaching position with Fitz in charge, suggesting, "He is the perfect example for our student-athletes' success in life." Dan and Susan make it back to Evanston from southwest Florida for every home game and try to make it to as many road games as they possibly can. Besides the 1996 Rose Bowl, which Jones calls "clearly the best moment" for the program, he is particularly fond of any Cardiac 'Cats comeback, of which there are many. He is thrilled to see the sustained success of the football program and hopes that it continues to grow the Northwestern community around school spirit and alumni engagement. Above all, Dan just hopes he and Susan have been able to contribute in some way to the university's success. There is no doubt that has been the case. Dan '60, '61 and Susan '63 Jones will serve as tonight's honorary captains.