Dick Jones receives the Rotary Major Donor award from District 5180 Governor Desiree Wilson, left, and former Rotary President Lisa Van De Hey in 2022. Photo by Seti Long

GRIDLEY (MPG) - In honor of its centennial, Gridley Rotary Club has plans for a commemorative clock to be placed on the Hazel Street side of the Gridley Museum.

The 10-foot-tall clock will have a plaque in memory of Dick Jones, who died this year.

Gridley City Council has approved the project and has agreed to install the clock. Installation fees were waived at a recent City Council meeting.

Jones was raised in Gridley, attended local schools and graduated from Gridley High School in 1951. He and his wife, Donna, raised five children here: Richard Jr., Sharon. Cheryl, Patti and Steve. 

Jones worked for Wentz Market in the late ’50s and then the insurance business for more than 50 years in several Gridley and Colusa locations.

A Gridley Rotary International Club member for 48 years, Jones was also known for his decades of involvement in the Gridley Little League, which resulted in one of the baseball fields at Manuel Vierra Park being named after him.

Jones served as a past president of Rotary, was a Paul Harris Fellow, was recognized as a Rotary Major Donor and has constantly supported Rotary through volunteering his time and serving on multiple subcommittees.

Jones finally retired in 2013 at the age of 80. He loved his baseball and attended games in every Major League Ball Park across the country. In later years, Jones would always be seen in his blue jeans, white T-shirt and red suspenders.

The total cost for the clock will be $20,000. To order the clock, a deposit of $10,000 is needed. So far, about $2,000 has been donated. All who wish to remember Dick Jones can make a tax-deductible donation by contacting Gridley Rotary President Lynne Spencer at 530-870-0563, or Margaret Hughes at 530-693-2528, by mail at Gridley Rotary Club, P.O. Box 454, Gridley, CA 95984 or by Venmo at @RotaryClub-Gridley.