Arthur Jones (inventor) - Other Interests

Other Interests

Jones often prided himself on being a generalist, something which he describes as a move away from the stubbornness and short-sightedness of 'specialists'. He attributed this in part to his upbringing in a family of physicians, as he found their attitudes toward medicine revolved around what they were taught and nothing else.

Jones traveled and 'adventured' widely, occasionally with friend and fellow adventurer Roy Pinney, setting up camp for two years or so at a time in different places such as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Mexico City. His motto was "younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles." Jones's Lake Helen, Florida Nautilus building was the home of One-Eyed Jack, a 14-foot (4.3 m)-long gator that Jones was trying to grow to world record size. He was also an aficionado of poisonous spiders and reptiles, a large collection of which was also housed in the Nautilus building.

Jones was also the creator of the "Jumbolair" estate, originally created as a haven of 350 acres (1.4 km²) for orphaned African elephants and other wildlife.

Jones was an accomplished pilot with a flying record of over 44,000 hours, which was especially useful for the import-export businesses that he was developing.

Jones also founded MedX Corporation, in which he invested millions to develop medical-based exercise and testing equipment.