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School of Medicine alum cultivates student scholarships, award-winning vineyard
New Orleans visitors and locals agree on one thing: an evening in one of the city’s fine dining establishments can be a life-changing event. H. Earl Jones, MD (M *65) enjoyed at least two such experiences — and made a positive impact on generations of Tulane School of Medicine students in the process.
Hailing originally from a Midwest farming community, Earl Jones was not the first Tulane student to be fascinated by New Orleans. However, his specific fascination was with the large exhibits and specimens detailing the nature and treatment of exotic tropical diseases that lined the halls of the Tulane School of Medicine. This distinction offers a glimpse of the life he would lead as a Tulane alum — one defined by intellectual curiosity, passion for research and sharp-eyed attention to detail. “It was fascinating. It was an education just to walk through Hutchinson Memorial Building,” recalls Jones.
“I had no intent to become a physician,” says Jones. “My intent was to get a PhD in organic chemistry, but one of my professors in undergrad talked me into it. She said, ‘Doctors can do research.’”
The professor helped Jones narrow his list of schools, but it was the tropical medicine exhibits that sealed the deal for Tulane. During his second year of coursework, Jones began working with Dr. Vincent Derbes on his thesis. It was a transformative experience.
A section chief in allergy and dermatology during Jones’ years at Tulane, Derbes was nationally recognized for his work in tropical dermatology and fungal infections. He provided Jones with lab space and an opportunity to perform studies at the National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana. Jones’ student research resulted in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association that was published before he even graduated.
He would go on to a thriving career as a university-based researcher, teacher and administrator, taking on an array of roles at the University of California, the University of Michigan and Emory University.
Yet even as he was completing his degree, Jones recognized the impact of his experience at Tulane School of Medicine — a recognition widely shared among the Class of 1965. So much so that they pooled their resources to celebrate the faculty with a farewell banquet in the Rib Room of the Royal Orleans Hotel. Though the dinner was extravagant, the students were generous in their support — and Jones drove a hard bargain with the Royal Orleans Hotel. Afterward, he donated the nearly $1,200 balance to honor the Tulane School of Medicine professors in the best way possible — creating the Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund to support rising medical students. Since then, Jones and many other classmates have continued to cherish the memory of their time at Tulane in a meaningful way, contributing to the Class of 1965 Fund and supporting current Tulane medical students.
Over the years, the fund has flourished, demonstrating how the loyalty and affection of a single class could pave the way for generations of future medical students.
Jones’ Tulane years prepared him well for a successful career as a researcher and administrator. Those years were also when he enjoyed his first-ever glass of wine at Commander’s Palace. It was a revelation that set him on the path to his second career — as an award-winning vintner, founder and president of Abacela winery.
“I stayed in the academic realm for 29 years, and then I decided that I wanted to do research in something totally different,” says Jones.
“I had lived in California in my residency days, and I was aware that one of the great grapes of the world, Tempranillo, was not made into wine in America, but in Spain it’s their national grape and their wines are exported all over the world.
“So, I took that as my task to figure out how it failed in California and how it might be successful. That was my motivation.”
Jones took the skills first honed at Tulane — commitment to careful research, determination to find effective solutions — to the task. After studying in Spain and California, he shrewdly considered the climate conditions necessary for his chosen varietal, carefully selecting a location in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. Just three years later, Abacela produced America’s first international Tempranillo champion.
“It’s research that I like, and it didn’t make a great deal of difference whether it was medicine or grapes. It’s the idea of taking an unknown and going for it in the most logical way possible.”
Now an emeritus alumnus with five children and eight grandchildren, Jones continues to thrive on discovery. He encourages School of Medicine students to embark on a research career, saying, “Each time you make a discovery, there are potential therapy and diagnostic decisions coming out of that.
“It’s a chain reaction amplification system. The return on investment is that you help a huge number of people.”
