Why I Give: An Interview With Eileen Jones, Esq. ’57

Eileen Jones ’57, 1986 recipient of the Caldwell University Veritas Award for Excellence in Government Law, recently made a generous gift to support the Campaign for Caldwell.

Eileen had already been supporting scholarships at Caldwell for years when she decided it was time to do something that would have a real impact on the financial need that many of the University’s students experience. Her most recent gift was made possible through a gift of real estate—a country home that she no longer uses. In addition, Eileen has committed her entire estate to the University, which will benefit students for generations to come.

Eileen attended Caldwell on scholarship, which has been her personal reason for supporting the University for so many years. Giving to Caldwell is her way to honor her family’s passion for education, which goes back to her grandfather, Ulysses Simpson Young. Although Ulysses did not have the opportunity to complete grade school, he did what he needed to do—and sacrificed as necessary—to send his three sons to school. By the time Eileen was in high school, given her father’s family history as well as her mother’s love for education, there was no question that she would go to college.

After completing her degree at Caldwell and becoming the first African American graduate of the College, Eileen went on to earn a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. She then began a career in government. Early on she worked for the Social Security Administration and the Veteran’s Administration in Newark; over time she was appointed Chief of the Administrative Review Staff for Compensation and Pension at the Veteran’s Administration. She was the first woman in the agency’s history to fill that role.

We remain grateful to Eileen for choosing to develop her abilities here as a student, and for her decision to play a transformational role in the lives of the talented students who continue to fulfill their passion for education at Caldwell University.

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