In Memory of Norman Jones

The College of Arts & Sciences will host a Celebration of Life to honor the remarkable career, generosity, and influence of Professor Norm Jones.

Date: April 6, 2026 
Time: 4-6pm (programming will begin at 5pm)
Location: Carolyn Tanner Irish Pavilion (Rm 201) of the Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center 

Professor Norman Jones devoted his life to the study, teaching, and stewardship of history, leaving a lasting mark on Utah State University and on generations of students and colleagues. He joined the USU History Department in 1978 and served with distinction for decades as a renowned scholar and award-winning teacher. His dedication in the classroom was extraordinary, having received the Jerry G. Gaff Faculty Award for Faculty Excellence in General and Liberal Education in 2012 and the Teacher of the Year award from the USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2018.

Norm was a historian of international stature. He authored eleven scholarly books and more than fifty articles on early modern English religion, law, and culture, including the influential The English Reformation: Religion and Cultural Adaptation. His work was supported by fellowships at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, and the Huntington Library.

In addition to his outstanding teaching and research reputation, Norm served as Department Head of the USU History Department for eighteen years. He excelled as a leader, playing a central role in the creation of the Classics and Religious Studies programs at USU. In his final year as Department Head, Norm accepted the 2012 Department Teaching Excellence award on behalf of the department.

Norm shaped higher education nationally, serving as chair of the Utah Regents’ General Education Task Force, contributing to the national “tuning” of the history curriculum for the American Historical Association, acting as a senior fellow of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and chairing the College Board’s Advanced Placement Higher Education Advisory Committee. He was an avid advocate, both at home and abroad, for Utah State’s mission as a land grant institution. From touring New Zealand universities as the Vice Chancellor’s Casual Visitor in 1994, to a federally sponsored Fulbright fellowship to Hong Kong in 2013, Jones was always eager to discuss his experience with general education.

Norm’s commitment to students continued well beyond the classroom. In 2017, he inspired the creation of what became the Ancient Languages Laboratory by bringing an untranslated Latin text for students to study and render into English. Over the years, his research interests continued to supply the Lab with rich and challenging materials, allowing students to explore fields as varied as botany, astrology, religious history, and Renaissance drama. Even after retiring from teaching in 2019, Norm continued to attend the Lab and give lectures into early 2025. Through this work, he fostered a space where students could venture into uncharted historical terrain and discover their own scholarly voices.

Together with his wife, Cecile Gilmer, Norm established the Norm Jones and Cecile Gilmer Benefice, which has supported faculty and students since 2020. The new Norm Jones Ancient Languages Laboratory Assistantship honors his long service and unwavering commitment to the growth and vitality of the Classics Program at Utah State University. By naming this position after him, we salute and memorialize his profound belief in the transformative power of learning.

Norm Jones’s legacy lives on in the programs he built, the scholarship he produced, and the countless students he inspired to read carefully, think critically, and care about the past. He is deeply missed and gratefully remembered.

Manibus date lilia plenis.

With full hands, give lilies.