Emily Jones Emily Carlene Jones was born in Laredo, Texas on February 22, 1949, and grew up in Denison. Emily described her mother's life as guided by an understanding that poverty arises from birth and circumstance rather than by lack of hard work or merit, and Emily's own life could be described the same way. She dedicated her life to the proposition that there ought to be basic justice for everyone, and that we can move closer to that goal by working together and living according to the beliefs we claim. For her, "organizing for justice" was a credo that guided her life. Emily attended Grayson County Junior College and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, where she was deeply involved in civil rights work. She went to law school at UT, returning to Nacogdoches in 1977 to work at East Texas Legal Services. She later started a civil rights law practice in Nacogdoches with Robin Collins, and eventually transitioned from lawyering to teaching high school. During her years in East Texas Emily began her involvement in solidarity work supporting freedom movements in Central America. In 1985 she moved to San Antonio to teach high school. She continued her solidarity work there, and began a long collaboration with Jennifer Harbury, working to support human rights for the people of Guatemala. Emily moved to Austin in 1988 to begin a PhD program at UT, where she became active in the Texas State Employees Union, an affiliation that continued for the rest of her life. In 1989 she began a 20-year partnership with Mike Gross. Their son, Carlos Michael Gross Jones was born in 1994. Carlos was the light of Emily's life, and a source of strength that helped her through the difficult days of her illness. Emily went to work at the State Bar of Texas in 1996, in the legal services/ pro bono support department, and later became the department director. Her career there was dedicated to helping low-income Texans gain access to legal assistance. She was the second Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, which provides resources to increase access to justice through the legal system. Working with John Jones, the first Commission Chair, and Jim Sales, the Chair of the Commission since 2004, they made the TAJF a national model. As always she lead by example, taking on numerous pro bono cases herself. Emily was diagnosed with multiple myeloma-- a usually fatal bone marrow cancer-- in 2005. Since then she tried every known therapy for the disease. She continued working until the cancer forced her to retire in 2008. In July she was accepted into a trial of a new drug at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, but the myeloma had destroyed her bone marrow. She was admitted to Seton hospital on Wednesday, July 29. She deteriorated rapidly, and was transferred to the Christopher House hospice in Austin on Friday afternoon. She continued to fight for life to the end, suffering her final defeat at 4:28 a.m. on Monday, August 3. Through her last difficult days she was attended constantly by the many of the dear friends who have supported her during the years of her fight. Her memory and the work that was so important to her will continue through those many friends and colleagues, and through the lives of her husband and partner, Mike, and her son Carlos. Emily was, and her family always will be, grateful to the staff at Texas Oncology, the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, Seton Hospital, and Hospice Austin, who poured out their skills and their hearts to help Emily in her fight for life against cancer. We have known some of you a long time, and some only briefly, but we will never forget you. Emily's friends and family will gather on Saturday, August 22, at 3:00 p.m., to remember her life and work. The gathering will be at the Texas AFL-CIO, at 1106 Lavaca in Austin. All who knew Emily are invited. Your contributions in lieu of flowers are asked for any of the following: several projects that promote social justice in Guatemala, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, Hospice Austin, or your union's COPE fund. For more details, including contact information for contributions, visit Emily's site on Caring Bridge: www.caringbridge.org/visit/emilyjones/journal.