The Paso del Norte Community Foundation (PdNCF), on behalf of Doug and Denise Jones, is pleased to announce that Mr. Jaime Grijalva, a junior at New Mexico State University who is majoring in Turfgrass Management with a minor in Soil Science, has been selected as a recipient for the Nathan W. Jones Scholarship, an award in the amount of $1,000.

The scholarship is in memory of Nathan W. Jones who was the Head Groundskeeper for the El Paso Chihuahuas and had graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Turf Grass Management. It was not evident to Nathan that he would make this his career until he arrived in El Paso, his love for turf management was not limited to the Chihuahuas ball diamond and extended to many local high school baseball and soccer fields. Nathan did not only love Chihuahuas but also the people in El Paso and that is the reason for the Jones family wishes to offer this scholarship in Nathan’s adopted hometown.

The Nathan W. Jones Memorial Scholarship was established for students who plan to study in the field of Turf Management and current college students must be enrolled in a turf management program. The Jones family hopes to encourage and support others who have chosen the Turf Management as a career, and they give special thanks to the Chihuahuas organization and the people of El Paso for making such a wonderful impact on Nathan’s life. Doug and Denise Jones expressed, “Jaime is exactly the kind of person we want to be awarded the scholarship. We’re pleased and impressed with his work ethic, schooling, volunteer work but most of all his love of turf management.” Jaime is an excellent student and involved with his community. Jaime is the President of the NMSU Turf Club and a Student Assistant in the Plant and Environmental Sciences Department Laboratory at NMSU.

Mr. Grijalva has volunteered at local FFA career development events, the annual Graves Farm Fall festival, and for over two years has cleaned up yards and helped with landscaping for the elderly. During Mr. Grijalva’s years in FFA he competed in different career development events such as land evaluation, home site evaluation and landscape design. After graduation, Mr. Grijalva plans to pursue his career in sport Turf Management. Jaime would also like to use his degree and experience to work for the U.S. Department of the Interior on rehabilitating our national and state parks after a natural disaster. “I want to thank those who have supported me day in and day out. I am honored to have been awarded this scholarship and will be the best example of what Nathan W. Jones represented” Mr. Jaime Grijalva stated.

For more information or to donate to the Nathan Jones Memorial Scholarship, click here.