LEXINGTON, Va. -- Nationally-known journalist Alex S. Jones, formerly of Greeneville, has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Washington and Lee University, joining a small group of W&L alumni that also includes his father.

Jones, 61, a Greeneville native and the editor of The Greeneville Sun from 1978-83, was a member of the Washington and Lee Class of 1968.

He was honored here on Saturday, May 3, during the University's "Generals' Assembly," the annual meeting of the Washington and Lee University Alumni Association.

The event is held each year in the Lee Chapel on the campus of the respected liberal arts institution, which dates its history to 1749.

Jones, a 1987 Pulitzer Prize winner as a reporter for The New York Times and the co-author of two widely-praised biographies on prominent newspaper families, is currently director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy.

The Center is part of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass., where Jones and his wife and co-author, Susan E. Tifft, now live.

He was one of three alumni honored as Distinguished Alumni in the May 3 ceremony.

Also recognized as Distinguished Alumni at the event were Ruel W. Tyson Jr., of Chapel Hill, N.C., a widely-known and much-honored faculty member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Brian J. Hooper, a Washington, D.C., attorney who currently serves as legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State on matters relating to weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.

Professor Tyson is a member of the Washington and Lee Class of 1953; Hooper is a member of the Class of 1998.

According to material provided by the University, the Distinguished Alumnus Award, established in 1973, "recognizes conspicuous contributions to Washington and Lee University, community service, and personal and professional achievements. . .

"A total of 109 awards have been made to date. The award affirms the University's finest traditions of leadership, responsibility and service."

Among family members of Alex Jones who were present for the ceremony in addition to Jones's wife were his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Jones, of Greeneville.

Mr. Jones, 93, longtime publisher of the Sun and a member of the Washington and Lee Class of 1937, was honored by the University as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1984.

Other family members attending the event were John M. Jones Jr. and Helena Z. Jones, Gregg K. Jones, and Sally and Steven Harbison, all of Greeneville, and Edith Jones Floyd and William Underwood, both of Atlanta.

John Jones Jr., Gregg Jones, Sally Harbison and Edith Floyd are siblings of Alex Jones. William Underwood, a member of the junior class at Washington and Lee, is a cousin.

The presentation to Jones was made by Waller T. Dudley, Washington and Lee Executive Director of Alumni Affairs.

Also participating in the ceremony was Dr. Kenneth P. Ruscio, president of the University.

In his citation concerning Jones and his selection for the Distinguished Alumnus Award, Dudley noted that Jones was a member of a multi-generational newspaper family, and cited numerous achievements of Jones in the field of journalism, including:

* his having received the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting, given for his N.Y. Times coverage of the 1986 collapse of the Bingham family newspaper/communications dynasty based in Louisville, Ky.

* his having co-authored with his wife two highly-acclaimed biographies: The Patriarch: The Rise and Fall of the Bingham Dynasty, concerning the Bingham family, and The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family Behind the New York Times, concerning the Ochs-Sulzberger families;

* his leadership of the prestigious Joan Shorenstein Center, widely regarded as one of the premiere journalistic "think tanks" in the nation;

* his having held for several years, jointly with his wife, the Eugene Patterson Professorship at Duke University, prior to his accepting the directorship of the Shorenstein Center (Susan Tifft still holds the Patterson Chair at Duke);

* his having hosted for several years "On the Media," a live two-hour program based in New York City that was carried on National Public Radio; and

* his having served for several years as executive editor and host of "Media Matters," a Public Broadcasting System series focusing on news issues.

Dudley also noted that Jones "has been attentive to his relationship with Washington and Lee, and he has shared his experience with the University's department of journalism and mass communications."

He has "also shown a continuing interest in the department's summer journalism intern" program and in 2007 made a gift to the University which supports two summer interns for three years.

The citation also included a quoted comment from Washington and Lee classmate Howard Capito, of Knoxville, a former Greeneville resident and a longtime friend of Jones.

Dudley said that Capito, who himself received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1995, had commented on Jones's "wonderful sense of humor" and had said that he thought one of Jones's greatest accomplishments was his ability to develop and nurture friendships.

The presentation to Jones also included two unscheduled and unscripted -- but memorable -- moments.

After Dudley explained that Jones had spent the 1982-83 academic year at Harvard as the recipient of a prestigious Nieman Fellowship for mid-career journalists, the alumni director noted that "It was not all academic. . . .

"[As] you know, W&L friends enjoy a little good-natured horseplay. Within the last hour, I have learned [from one of Jones's classmates and close friends] that our honoree also came in second place in the lip-sync contest at Harvard for his stirring rendition of [the Elvis Presley rock 'n' roll hit] 'All Shook Up.' "

The audience in the packed Lee Chapel, many of them members of the Class of 1968, responded with laughter and warm applause, as Jones, reddening somewhat at the surprise announcement of his semi-musical achievement, smilingly acknowledged the good-natured applause.

A different kind of unexpected moment occurred near the end of the citation, as the alumni director again departed from his prepared text -- this time to call attention to the presence of Jones's parents, who were seated with other family members near the front of the auditorium.

Addressing both Alex Jones and the audience, Dudley said, "Alex, I began by noting that you followed your wonderful father's footsteps in coming to W&L. We are so touched and honored that your dad, John M. Jones III, W&L Class of 1937, himself a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1984, is here to cheer for you."

At the announcement, a clearly audible expression of surprise swept the room.

Dudley continued:

"At age 93, Mr. Jones is celebrating his 71st Reunion, and, as if in a Disney movie . . . he is here with his college sweetheart from Sweet Briar [College], your mother, Martha [Arne]."

The unexpected announcement concerning Mr. and Mrs. Jones was met with a strong, sustained wave of spontaneous applause from the audience -- in which a proudly smiling Alex Jones himself joined from the stage.

When it subsided, Dudley completed the last few lines of his prepared citation and presented Alex Jones with the plaque signifying the Distinguished Alumnus Award.