Beehive Homes Community Spotlight: Bevan Jones
Every community has people in it that High School, graduating in 1944. He make it great. I’m talking about salt-of- immediately joined the Merchant Marines the-earth kinda people. Join us as each and attended a technical course on radio month as we highlight one of our longtime waves and transmitters in Boston. Bevan members in the community. was assigned to the Liberty Ships to sail in
Bevan J. Jones was born in January of the Pacific. Bevan worked for months at a 1926 in Cedar City. Bevan did not stay time as the ships radio controller, allowing in Cedar City long — his father Emrone the ships to communicate with the fleet. ( Jack) Jones moved he and his mother At the end of his tour, Bevan moved Jenny Cox Jones to Los Angeles, California, back to L.A. and began working for Southern where Jack began working for California Edison Electric Company. Union Pacific Railroad. One year later, Because patents had such short lives in the the Stock Market would crash. Many early 1900s, Edison allowed electric utilities people in L. A. lost their jobs. Jack had to use his patents so long as they used some education that allotted him a position his name in the company name. Today, Edison as the bus driver for rail workers International is a leading innovator in coming and going to rail yards for Union electricity production and storage. Bevan Pacific. Jack would work for Union Pacific still had family routes in Cedar City andhis whole life, retiring as an accountant would occasionally make the drive to visit for the company. cousins. On one such occasion, his cousin
Bevan grew up in a tremulous time in introduced him to Dolores Fife - she was L.A. - the Great Depression, mass deportations young and vibrant, and Bevan instantly of Mexican workers, the Long Beach fell for her. He would make the long car earth quake, mass flooding, and the “Zoot drive much more often over the next few Dolores to have her get the radio set up. Suit.” However, these were also exciting months. He and Dolores were married in I told her how to hook up the wires over times — the L.A. Olympics, Union Pacific 1948 in the St. George LDS Temple. the phone and when she plugged it, in the Station opening, Hollywood booming and Bevan and Dolores lived in L.A. for a whole thing fried, smoked and popped. Of WWII beginning during Bevans growing short time and had four children: Ronald, course, this really scared Dolores and she up years. It was a time of U.S. innovation Nadine, Christopher and Richard. Soon refused to speak to me about radios for and digging out. they moved to Orange County, Newport some time,” Bevan said.
“I was really fascinated with radios; at Beach, and along came their last child, Soon a Belgium company named an early age, the local police station had Paul. Bevan’s radio talents were in high SWIFT recruited Bevan to run their telecommunications just started using radios. I used to walk demand; he was an expert in his field and section in Belgium, Germany. around before garbage days and collect radio radio was at its peak around the world. He packed up his family and moved parts or broken radios that people had “Right about the time when the first public to Germany. It was a wonderful time with thrown out. I would bring the parts home FM stereo radio wave was coming out, I new adventures and cultures to learn. Five and make my own radios and transmitters.” was traveling for business. I was so excited years later, SWIFT branched out into the Bevan said. Bevan attended Alhambra to have it play on my radio that I called U.S., built a new state-of-the-art building in Virginia and asked Bevan to run the telecommunications division. Bevan worked for SWIFT until he retired in 1979.
Dolores and Bevan celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2008. Dolores would pass away later that year. Bevan’s children had spread around the country by that time and the sons in Utah decided that Utah would be the best place for Dad to spend his remaining years. Bevan has 25 great-grandchildren and 29 great-great-grandchildren.