Dorothy M. Jones was a professor at Old Dominion University from 1954-1976. She retired after 20 years of teaching and passed away in 1992. Ms. Jones was one of four children of a schoolteacher. Ms. Jones attended Randolph Macon Women's College from 1928 until 1932, when she graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Abnormal Psychology. After graduating from Randolph Macon, Dorothy Jones was offered two fellowships. She decided to accept the fellowship offered by New York University. In 1933, she graduated with a Masters degree in Marketing from New York University. After graduation, Jones began her business career by being retained at Stern Brothers as an Assistant Buyer in the Fashion Department. She later transferred to Lord and Taylor and served in a similar position. Jones would eventually end up working for Consolidated Millinery Department and through that company would be transferred to 3 different states during her 14-year employment with the company. It was when Jones suffered a foot injury that required surgery that she decided to pursue a teaching career. So Jones joined Old Dominion University (then the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary) as the Head of the Merchandising Department in 1954, and continued to serve as the head until 1959. Jones served as the Assistant Professor of Distributive Education during her career in the Merchandising Department as well. When she left that Distributive Education, Ms. Branigan and Joe Bigs followed her to fill that position. Jones served in the capacity of Head of Merchandising for five years until 1959 when she left that position to become the Associate Professor of Business Management in the School of Business, until her retirement in 1976. Jones retired with Emeritus status and she was an integral figure in promoting the conception, establishment, and organization of the ODU Emeriti program. During her career at Old Dominion University, Jones eventually sought funds from local businesses to establish the founding of a Chair of Merchandising within the Business Department. She was unable to obtain this goal before her retirement, a fact that disappointed her. There are two scholarships at Old Dominion University that are connected to Dorothy Jones. The first is one that she established in honor of her parents, which is the Bagwell-Jones scholarship. The second scholarship shows the popularity of Jones with her students and the impact that she had on their lives. A former student of Jones' established it anonymously in her honor.

Note written by Victoria Winn