<sh> Gregory Hale Jones
<bt>Gregory Hale Jones, an award-winning film and television composer who graduated from Alexandria's Fort Hunt High School, passed away suddenly in Los Angeles on July 22. He was 49.
Jones was born in Enid, Okla., on June 15, 1955. He attended schools in Oklahoma and Virginia. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory in 1977 with a bachelor of music degree. He graduated from California Institute of the Arts in 1980 with a master's degree in composition, orchestration, and arranging.
He then moved to San Francisco, where he became associated with Colossal Pictures. He began his own music business by writing the music for the original MTV Logos, part of the launch of Viacom's cable MTV. They have also been used in feature films such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." MTV's rocketing success put Jones' style in demand for broadcast television commercials, documentaries, animated specials and film.
During this period, Jones won two national Emmy Awards and several New York Art Director's Club Awards for his MTV and Disney Channel work, as well as a Clio Award.
Work followed for National Geographic. He also scored an independent feature, "Steal America." In 2001, Jones worked with director Simon West to compose the score for Paramount Pictures' "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Recent projects also include theme music and scoring work for "The General's Daughter" and "Just Add Water."
His instrumental pieces have been performed in both the U.S. and Europe, including the New Music America festival. He composed the score to Max Almy's gallery video "Leaving the 20th Century," which was chosen for the permanent collection of New York Museum of Modern Art.
In June 2004, Jones completed scoring for a new feature film, "My Tiny Universe."
Memorial services were held in Los Angeles on July 27. Services here will be held at Heritage Presbyterian Church, 8503 Fort Hunt Road, Saturday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m. A reception will be held at Fort Belvoir Officer's Club following the service.
In San Francisco at the Presidio, a showcase of his life's work in music, assembled by producers, directors and friends, will be featured at a celebration of his life on Sept. 10.
Jones is survived by his two children, Katy, 15, and Evan, 18, and parents, Charles and DeJuana Jones of Stockade Drive in Alexandria.
His favorite charities were nature.org, moveon.org and savetibet.org.
<sh>Florence ‘Flo’ Schuyler Deist
<bt>Florence Schuyler Deist, 85, a resident of The
Hermitage in Alexandria since 1986, died of a
brain tumor on July 28.
She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was raised in
northern New Jersey and in the Philadelphia area.
She graduated from Lower Merion Township High School
and was a member of the graduating class of 1940 at
Hood College, Frederick, Md., where she received a bachelor of science degree in home economics with a concentration in dietetics. After graduation she worked briefly for Howard Johnson restaurants before her marriage to Benjamin Adam Deist in 1941.
Deist moved frequently, following her husband’s
career in public-school education through Philadelphia and many towns in New Jersey. During these years she raised three children and worked at various jobs, including as a hospital dietitian, a business office supervisor for the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and a volunteer in support of her children’s activities.
Before moving to The Hermitage in 1986, she lived in a
retirement community in Florida, where she volunteered
her writing and journalistic skills on a community newspaper, The TOW News, produced by an all-volunteer staff. This experience led to an eight-year stint as a volunteer stringer for the Alexandria Gazette-Packet writing a weekly column about events and activities at The Hermitage in the “Over the Back Fence” feature of the newspaper. She resigned from this work in 1996 due to failing eyesight. Deist also wrote for several newsletters for Hermitage mailings. Her dedication to the community also included work with the American Red Cross in the Alexandria area scheduling and supervising volunteers for Bloodmobiles and other blood donation events.
Deist enjoyed travel in Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and Peru. Her interests have included journalism, reading, golf, and swimming. She was active in various local women’s clubs, Girl Scouts and the League of Women Voters.
Her husband of 36 years, Benjamin Deist, died in 1977. Survivors include three children: Linda D. Stanley of Reston, Barbara K. Boccuto of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.,
and Peter B. Deist of Dayton, Ohio; three grandchildren;
and two great-grandchildren.