Illinois Wesleyan University athletics takes time to reflect and remember Jason Jones, a 1991 IWU alumnus who, along with Scott Bittner, Andy Butler, Tom Hileman, Aaron Leetch, Terry Stralow, and Torrey Ward, lost his life in a plane crash on April 7, 2015.
 
A Lincoln, Ill. native, Jones lettered in baseball and basketball for the Titans. Jones was the co-captain (with David Kunka) of the 1990-91 basketball team that won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship with a 15-1 record. He is tied for 12th all-time for most games played (110) and also ranks 28th all-time in career assists (211).
 
A career .340 hitter in 109 games as a Titan centerfielder, Jones had his best year as a senior in 1991 when he batted .361(43-of-119) with eight doubles, two home runs and 27 runs batted in. After graduating from IWU, he went on to earn his master's degree from Illinois State University and became a Senior Vice President and Certified Financial Planner at Wells Fargo Advisors.
 
Beyond his athletic and career accolades, Jones was most well-known for treating every person with kindness and respect while building meaningful lifelong friendships with a wide variety of individuals. He was a loving father, devoted husband, caring son and brother, and an extraordinary and loving friend. With his quick wit, boundless energy and warm smile, he brought joy to countless people.
 
To this day, Jones' good-natured spirit is carried on through Titan Athletics in two distinct ways. In August, at the All Student-Athlete Meeting that kicks off the academic year, all Titan student-athletes are told the "Penny Story." As the story goes, whenever Jones would find a "lucky" heads-up penny, he would forgo keeping it for himself, and would instead hand it to the next person he met who might need a little good fortune. So each year, all 550+ student-athletes at IWU are given a "lucky" penny for them to share with someone who might need it during the course of the year. Through remembering Jones, student-athletes are also reminded of the importance of showing empathy and providing support to one another in times of need.
 
In addition, the Jason Jones True Titan Award is presented at the annual Victory with Honor Senior Banquet in April. The award is presented to the Illinois Wesleyan student-athlete who represents the highest quality character as a member of the Titan athletic community.
 
After the tragic accident, the Illinois State Athletics Department erected "Redbird Remembrance," a memorial located near the north entrance of Redbird Arena. At the center of the memorial are seven columns placed in a fountain meant to symbolize the loss as well as recognize a commitment to remember seven friends and co-workers. A plaque welcomes visitors into the memorial, while the seven names are etched into the back wall.
 
Additionally, the wives, fiancée's, and children of those taken too soon created Project 7, which encourages everyone to perform seven random acts of kindness every year on April 7. To learn more about the initiative, visit its Facebook page by click here. And to learn more about Jason, Torrey, Aaron, Terry, Andy, Scott, and Tom, please visit the Redbird Remembrance website at Remembrance.GoRedbirds.com.