2006 Distinguished alumni awards
The
Honorable Richard A. Jones
Seattle, Washington
High school graduate 1968
Professional achievement award
Abbot Neal Roth, O.S.B. recalls Richard A. Jones fondly as one of his
high school students - a good student, a very good student. “His work as
the presiding judge of the 2003 Gary Ridgway (known as the Green River
Killer) trial repeatedly demonstrated the very mission of Saint
Martin’s,” said Roth. “King County Superior Court Judge Richard A. Jones
was conscientious, thorough and fair, and his sense of dignity and
compassion set a high standard of decency throughout the proceedings.”
After completing high school at Saint Martin’s in 1968, Jones earned
a Public Affairs degree from Seattle University and graduated from the
University of Washington law school in 1975. Jones worked as a staff
attorney for the Port of Seattle and as an Associate with Bogle & Gates.
He served as a Deputy Prosecutor for King County and as an Assistant
United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington. Judge
Jones was appointed to the King County Superior Court in 1994.
Jones is passionate in his efforts to make equal education a reality
for all. He lectures extensively at local legal education programs and
teaches several high school programs across the state. He has been an
instructor at the United States Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute,
the Executive Office of the United States Attorney in Washington, D.C.
and the Washington State Judicial College, where he served as Dean in
1997/98. His committed involvement with programs honoring Thurgood
Marshall and Brown v. Board of Education has inspired many
African-American students. In 2001, he received the Outstanding
Achievement Award from the Loren Miller Bar Association, which helps
the social and economic well-being of its predominately African-American
members.
Jones served as a trustee for the University of Washington School of
Law Foundation until 2002, sat on the Board of Regents of Seattle
University until 2005, and is currently a member of the University of
Washington Law School Advisory Committee. A Board member of the YMCA of
Greater Seattle for the last sixteen years, he recently completed a
two-year term as Board President.
Among the many honors and awards earned by Jones for his work as a
lawyer and a judge was the 1991 Washington State Bar Association’s
Special Recognition Award as well as the King County Bar
Association’s Affirmative Action Award. In 2004 he received
Judge of the Year Awards from the Washington State Trial Lawyers
Association, The Asian Bar Association of Washington State, and the King
County Bar Association. He was also the 2004 recipient of the Washington
State Bar Association’s Outstanding Judge of the Year Award.
Jones and his wife, Leslie, reside in Seattle. They have two
children, Karen and Chelon, and four grandchildren.