Wilbur D. Jones Jr.

Wilbur D. Jones, Jr., is a nationally-known, award-winning author and military historian in Wilmington, North Carolina.

He is a University of North Carolina graduate, retired Navy captain, former assistant and advance representative to President Gerald Ford, and served the Department of Defense for 41 years - 12 as a Defense Acquisition University professor/associate dean.

His works include 19 other books (7 on WWII) and hundreds of articles for a regional Gannett newspaper.

For 12-1/2 years, he conceived, organized, and led a successful (2020) project designating Wilmington as America's first "World War II Heritage City," working with the state's congressional delegation. The National Park Service administers the history preservation program he engineered.

Recognition includes: North Carolina's highest award, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine; the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and listing in Marquis Who'sWho 2023; the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award; the Wilmington StarNews Lifetime Achievement Award; Chairman of the USS North Carolina Battleship Commission; and one of New Hanover High School's Outstanding Alumni marking the school's 2022 Centennial.