Dr. James Gregory “Greg” Jones, 53, of Denton, Texas passed away on March 30, 2017. He was a much beloved son, husband, father, friend, professor and colleague.

Greg was born in Denton, Texas on August 5, 1963 to Dorothy (Terry) and Billy Ray Jones, the younger of two children. He was a graduate of Denton High School, North Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Greg was known for his energy and enthusiasm and his creative ability to think "outside the box".

Greg had a zest for life and was a geek and technologist at heart. He loved his family, his cats, and all things Disney. He was passionate about the outdoors, cycling, astronomy, the weather, and airplanes. His professional work was inspired by his love of science fiction movies, music, and video games, where his passion for learning was shared unreservedly and generously with students and colleagues alike.

Greg earned his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at UT Austin, and later studied at the UoSAT Spacecraft Engineering Research Unit housed at the University of Surrey, England. With Dr. Judi Harris at The University of Texas at Austin, he was the co-creator of the Electronic Emissary, one of the first K-12 student-mentor matching services in the U.S. He conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institute for Multimedia in Education, funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He is a former president of TAPR, a non-profit research and development corporation focused on packet and wireless related technologies and holds his FCC advanced amateur radio license (WD5IVD).

In his tenure as a professor at UNT, Greg focused on using technology to further the creation and distribution of knowledge. His research focused on improving online and blended teaching and learning using a combination of rapport, cognitive scaffolding, and distributed technologies including online environments, data visualization systems, games, and simulations. Through these systems, he believed that teaching and learning relationships are no longer confined by space, but are instead defined by connectivity. Greg's research is widely published and his influence on the field of learning technologies, substantial. His mentoring work was voluminous, having chaired fourteen doctoral dissertations to completion, with four students currently in dissertation. He also advised numerous students and junior faculty members.

Greg's death was preceded by that of his father Billy Ray and brother Gary Ray. He is survived by his wife Bridget Bem, their son, Gerald, and by his mother Dorothy. He will be dearly missed by numerous family members, friends, students, and colleagues.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 10:30 AM at St. Mark Catholic Church, 6500 Crawford Road, Argyle, with Father George presiding. The interment will take place at the IOOF Cemetery in Denton at a future date.

There will be a rosary for Greg at 6:00 PM Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at DeBerry Funeral Directors, 2025 W. University Drive, Denton. Visitation will follow the rosary until 8:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to UNT, Department of Learning Technologies in memory of Dr. Jones. Designated donations will be used to create an endowed fund to support doctoral students. Donations can also be made to St. Mark Catholic Church Building Fund, 6500 Crawford Rd. Argyle, TX 76226.