Two articles from the Daily Reflector, 2/17/06 http://www.reflector.com Legendary barbecue master dead at 77 By Jane Welborn Hudson, The Daily Reflector Friday, February 17, 2006 When Walter B. "Pete" Jones accepted the Ayden Chamber of Commerce's Business of the Year Award for his legendary barbecue restaurant, The Skylight Inn, a couple of years ago, he said that when the people of Ayden were happy, he was happy. And when the people of Ayden were sad, he was sad. "Today, Ayden is sad," Mayor Stephen Tripp said. Jones, 77, died Wednesday. The Skylight Inn, which Jones and his family have operated for nearly 60 years, will be closed for his funeral, which will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Elm Grove Free Will Baptist Church. But Jones' son, Bruce, nephew Jeff Jones and grandson Samuel Jones will continue his legacy of serving up the chopped eastern North Carolina-style vinegar-sauced barbecue which draws hordes of hungry patrons to Jones' popular restaurant, known nationally as the "capitol of barbecue." Many generations of Jones' family have been involved in the business of barbecue. Local legend has it that the pit-cooked pork that Pete Jones' great-great-grandfather, Skilton Dennis, sold out of a covered wagon in downtown Ayden in the early 1830s was the first barbecue offered for public sale in the state. When Jones was 8 years old, he began working with his uncle Emmit Dennis in his barbecue business. Jones opened The Skylight Inn in 1947, when he was only 19. "I started working with Pete and his brother, Robert, in the barbecue business when I was just a young boy," said Jones' cousin, Bum Dennis, proprietor of Bum's Restaurant in Ayden. "Pete spent his whole life working at The Skylight Inn, chopping barbecue and making friends and loyal customers." The cousins weren't rivals, despite owning barbecue restaurants in the same small Pitt County town. "Pete and I remained best of friends right on up to his death," Dennis said. "If he needed something, he came up and got it, and if I needed anything he would help me. We understood each other, understood business problems. "I've lost a good friend. He will be missed by the whole town." He'll also be missed by the people from around the country who love old-fashioned barbecue. Folks from far and near stopped by to get a tray of chopped barbecue –Jones chopped up every bit of the hog, from the tail to the snout – creamy coleslaw, a piece of flat, baked cornbread and a cold Pepsi-Cola. "It's amazing how many people from outside our community go to that barbecue place; people from Maryland and Tennessee and all over the place," said Mayor Tripp. Over the years, Jones and his barbecue were featured in such publications as National Geographic, Southern Living and People Magazine and on television programs on The Food Network and The Travel Channel. After being named "the capitol of barbecue," Jones added a flag-topped rotunda to the modest building. His restaurant also was named by the James Beard Foundation as a classic American eatery. He even went to the White House to serve barbecue to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. "Gosh, Pete was just one of those people who found success the hard and the old-fashioned way," said North Carolina barbecue expert Bob Garner, author of "North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time." Garner said he was a big fan of The Skylight Inn's barbecue and of Jones. "He took great pride in doing it the old-fashioned way, cooking with oak wood and cooking the whole hog," the author said. "He knew the whole secret to good barbecue was cooking it slow over wood and getting it infused with that smoke flavor. "He told me that was all he wanted to do from the time that he was a little boy," Garner said. "A lot of people really go out kind of seeking the recognition of the world, but Pete stayed right there in Ayden his whole life and let the world beat a path to his door. He served presidents and other notables and in a little town like Ayden, that's not the easiest thing in the world to do, Garner said" But Tripp said there was much more to Jones than his barbecue. "What made his business was his character, his personality, his caring for people," the mayor said. "He gave a lot to our community. He did a lot of things for people who are less fortunate, in many ways that we don't even know about. He loved his family, he loved Ayden, he loved people." And he loved barbecue. Obituary Mr. Walter B. "Pete" Jones, 77, died at his home Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006. The funeral will be conducted Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Elm Grove Free Will Baptist Church and burial will follow in the Dennis Family Cemetery officiated by the Rev. Bruce Jones, Dr. Frankie Baggett, and the Rev. Charles Branch. Pete was born March 10, 1928 to the late John William Jones and Josie Dennis Jones. When Pete was about 8 years old he started working with his uncle, Emmit Dennis in the barbecue business. On July 8, 1947 at the age of 19, Pete opened his own Barbecue business, The Skylight Inn, where his brother, Robert Jones joined him later as a partner. Pete was a member of Elm Grove F.W.B. Church, the Improved Order of Red Men, Woodman of the World, and N.C. Farm Bureau. Pete was active in The Skylight Inn for over 57 years before suffering a heart attack which forced him to retire in 2004. Pete and his barbecue have been featured in National Geographic, Southern Living, People Magazine, Tarheel Magazine, Our State Magazine, G.Q. Magazine, and a number of magazines and newspaper articles. Pete was presented the prestigious James Beard culinary award and featured on the Food Network and Travel Channel earning himself the title of "Barbecue King." He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Emmy Lou Pierce Jones in December of 2005. He is survived by a daughter, JoAnn Wade and husband, C.J., of the home; son, the Rev. Bruce Jones and wife, Judy, of Ayden; sister, Gladys Beddard and husband, Walter; and brother, Robert L. Jones, all of Ayden; five grandchildren, J.D. Wade of Wilmington, Matthew Wade, Rachel Jones, Sarah Jones, and Samuel Jones, all of Ayden; and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends tonight from 7-9 at Elm Grove F.W.B. Church. The church is located at 5403 Weyerhaeuser Rd. Turn off NC 11 east on to Little Field Rd. beside Ayden-Grifton High School. The church is located at the end of the road. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Elm Grove F.W.B Church Building Fund, 5403 Weyerhaeuser Rd., Ayden, NC 28513 or to the Kings Cross Roads F.W.B .Church Building Fund, 2080 Seven Pines Rd., Fountain, NC 27829. Published in The Daily Reflector on 2/17/2006.