Grammy Winner ‘Mentor of Year’

After winning 26 Grammy awards and garnering seven Oscar nominations, music impresario Quincy D. Jones was given a different kind of honor by the School of Public Health this week.

Jones, who has also had a long career in humanitarian work, was selected as “Mentor of the Year” for January’s sixth annual National Mentoring Month campaign.

“I am humbled and honored to have this title bestowed upon me,” Jones told The Crimson in an e-mail through his publicist, Arnold Robinson. “Throughout my life I have had the good fortune to know individuals who supported and encouraged me to achieve my goals and dreams, and to know that I have had and can have that kind of impact on new generations as one of my proudest achievements.”

The goals of the national mentorship campaign are to recognize the work of mentors and to recruit new volunteers, said Susan Moses, the co-director of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Harvard Mentoring Project. Other personalities include Maya Angelou, Clint Eastwood, and Sting, all of whom will be making public service announcements to raise awareness about the importance of mentoring.

Jones—after whom Harvard’s first-ever endowed African American music professorship is named—has worked with HSPH for many years, Moses said. He has participated in a program known as the “Squash It!” Campaign to Prevent Youth Violence, which teaches young adults about positive alternatives to violence, according to its Web site.

Jones began his social outreach career by joining Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Operation Breadbasket in the 1960s, according to the Web site of the Academy of Achievement in Washington D.C. King’s civil rights group was dedicated to promoting urban economic development.

Jones was also a founder, along with Jesse L. Jackson, of Operation People United to Serve Humanity, which today aims to fulfill similar goals as King’s former group.

According to a press release, Jones himself was mentored by several well-known public figures.

At age 15, Jones met jazz piano legend Ray Charles in Seattle, and the two soon became close.

In a promotional video for the Harvard Mentoring Project made shortly before Charles’ death, the musician recalled his time with Jones.

“You could tell that he wanted to learn, he wanted to know. And because I was able to show him some things, that made me happy, that’s what stirred my heart,” Charles said.

Jones himself has been a mentor to a wide range of people, according to Moses—from Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith to former gang members in Los Angeles.

“Jones’ entire life is a testament to the power of mentoring,” said HSPH Associate Dean Jay A. Winsten, in a statement. “He has served as a role model for using the power of celebrity to improve the lot of humankind.”