In Memoriam: Alan Jones

 

The College is deeply saddened to announce the death of Founding Fellow, and First Vice-Master, Professor Alan Jones.

Professor Jones played a significant part in the College’s early days. As a Founding Fellow and the College’s first Vice-Master, he developed the College’s links with the University and with other colleges, and was part of the committee tasked with negotiating the College’s move from its original St Cross site to its current home on St Giles. He was invited to join a number of intercollegiate committees and was later elected to the post of University Assessor.

Professor Jones was Professor of Classical Arabic, and taught Arabic, Turkish, and Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford from 1957-2000. He was widely known for his expertise in the Arabic language and for his work on the Qur’an. A specialist in early Arabic literature, he was the author of a number of books of translations, as well as commentaries on pre-Islamic poetry. A Festschrift, Islamic Reflections, Arabic Musings, was published in his honour in 2004. His translation of the Qur’an was published in 2007.

The College will be holding a memorial service in 2022, when we will be able to remember Professor Jones more fully.