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The hallway outside Room 1111 was lined with former students, staff and friends, including two former directors of the DuMont Television Center, Jeff Friedman along with John Diglio, who hired Jones. The gathering reunited colleagues and alumni, giving them the opportunity to reminisce and personally thank Jones for his influence on their lives.<\/p>\n
As a television engineer, Jones fixed cameras, trained students how to operate equipment, and by many accounts, \u201cregularly saved the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Krystal Acosta \u201909, assistant director of Production Services, knew Jones when she was a student and worked with him as a colleague for the past eight years. \u201cJeff is the best fixer-upper and he always puts a smile on your face,\u201d she said. In addressing Jones, she shared: \u201cI don\u2019t know anyone more deserving than you to have this equipment room, that you\u2019ve spent so many hours in, bear your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
These sentiments were echoed by Adam Goldberg, BMO chief engineer: \u201cJeff has an amazing ability to build anything, and he created custom items to make our students\u2019 lives better,\u201d citing the innovative paging system Jones developed and installed that enables students, faculty and staff to contact the engineer on duty at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dean of the College of the Arts Daniel Gurskis added to the accolades, sharing that \u201cJeff was such a positive influence \u2026 he always had a smile on his face, a positive outlook and something kind to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commemorative room plaque placed on the wall includes quotes from a number of former students, a testament to the many lives Jones touched during his influential career at Montclair.<\/p>\n \u201cSpending time with Jeff was the daily exercise that my brain needed. I loved the television engineering class he taught and his enthusiasm to make anything work long past its expiration date,\u201d said Ron Tomaino \u201908, Albuquerque producer at 48 Hour Film Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another sentiment is from Liz Sabagh \u201989, a CNN editor, \u201cJeff is the best of humankind, and darn smart too! I\u2019m honored and grateful to call him my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t know where many of us would be were it not for Jeff,\u201d said Ray Santiago \u201906, an ESPN producer.<\/p>\n Providing students and clients access to the industry\u2019s latest digital, high definition production equipment is a hallmark of SCM. Along with his propensity to share life lessons, long stories and jokes, Jones will be remembered for his mastery of keeping all of the technology running smoothly.<\/p>\n Jones pointed out there\u2019s a lot going on at BMO, and that many people don\u2019t realize the intricate electronics and technical equipment being maintained behind the scenes.<\/p>\n In thanking those assembled, Jones said he was having a \u201cWordsworth moment,\u201d expressing how moved and joyful he was, and he recited the poem \u2018Daffodils,\u2019 also known as \u2018I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud\u2019 written by English poet William Wordsworth.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in awe, and this is one of those moments that will stand out in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe the more of these experiences you have, the better person you become.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/giving\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/150\/2023\/06\/2023-06-14_jeff-jones-03.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\"\/)
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