Jones was born July 13, 1920, in Covington County to James Albert and Annette Hollinghead Jones. (J.P. is the complete name.) In 1941 J.P. married Jewell Daugherty of Kinston. They have four children: Charlotte Jones Hunt of Montgomery, Alabama; Jimmy Jones of Ozark, Alabama; Jody Jones of Opp, Alabama; and Connie Jones Free of Kinston, Alabama.
In 1939 J.P. began his work career with the Opp Cotton Mills. He later joined Premium Candy Company and worked the routes out of Quincy, Florida. After a year he was transferred to Greenville, AL. While he was selling candy during the week he came to Opp on the weekends and started building Parkmore.
J.P. had always dreamed of owning a restaurant and in 1950 he returned to Opp to operate Parkmore at the intersection of Cummings and Virginia Avenues. During the 50’s the Drive-In Restaurant was the focus of social life in America, especially for teenagers and Opp’s Parkmore brought people from miles around. Ten years later, as “Drive-Ins” were changing, J.P. moved his location to 331 South (Onycha) and built a much larger dining room. For 20 years the Parkmore was a favorite to many in Opp and surrounding area and especially to the athletes who enjoyed their post-game meals provided by J.P. After twenty years in the restaurant business, J.P. decided to sell his business.
At this time J.P. was in semi-retirement. He built three poultry houses that operated fourteen years before his retirement in 1986.
In the early 1950’s, J.P. served as a volunteer fireman for the City of Opp for eleven years. On one occasion J.P. followed the fire truck to an accident where a truck had gone into the Country Club Pond. Risking his own life, J.P. made several dives to try to rescue the man. Although the man’s life was lost, J.P. valiantly tried to save him.
J.P. Jones can be called “the Father of the Rattlesnake Rodeo.” In 1954 he erected the first snake pen in the rear lot of the Parkmore Restaurant. Interest in rounding up rattlesnakes continued to grow. In the early 1960s the Opp Jaycees officially adopted the rodeo and named it “The South Alabama Rattlesnake Rodeo.” J.P., a Jaycee member, hosted the event at his Parkmore Restaurant, located on Highway 331 South. In the early years of the rodeo, he did the promoting and interviewing. His enthusiasm maintained the rodeo in some lean years, and his belief in it helped to make it the success it is today.
In addition to the recognition already noted, J.P. has received awards and recognition in several other areas. The Opp Chamber of Commerce honored him with an award. Governor George C. Wallace and Governor Lurleen B. Wallace recognized him with plagues. Also, J.P. is a charter member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
J.P. Jones has earned the community’s respect and appreciation. He is an outstanding family man, successful business leader, and important community volunteer. The citizens of Opp applaud J.P. Jones’s contribution to this community. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
