Jones: 41 years in the business, 22 years at Eagles
By Paul F. Vang
“I’ve been in the gin mill business for 41 years,” Dick Jones says with a grin, “I think it’s time to do something else.”
Jones has been a fixture in the Bozeman bar scene for many years. He’s been manager of the Bozeman Eagles Club since January 28, 1987, but he’s circled June 1, 2009 on his calendar as the day when he’ll retire from the pressure and stresses of a business that keeps him occupied 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.
He’s looking forward to retirement, as he admits, “The fire is not what it used to be.”
In his 20s, Jones started working as a bartender at the VFW club in Bozeman. From there, he moved to the American Legion club, while also moonlighting at a local bowling alley, and then moved on to the Elks Club. 
He took a few months off after leaving the Elks Club before starting a new job running the bar at the Livery Stable, a bar and restaurant at the mall in Bozeman, now known as the Bay, before his long stint at the Eagles Club.
“It just worked out that way,” he says, noting that most of his career was in either veterans or fraternal organization clubs, though he adds that one of his favorite jobs was that moonlighting job at the bowling alley. “I enjoyed the Bowl. I had no management responsibilities—just tend bar and then go home.”
Jones has deep, deep roots in Bozeman.
“My family came here in 1877, when this was a real frontier town,” Jones relates. “My granddad stayed here, while my great-grandfather went on to the Jackson Creek area by Ennis, and then to Virginia City where he died. I can proudly say I’m a native.”
The Jones family grew up in the food and bar business. Dick’s father was a cook in several Bozeman restaurants and was dedicated to good food.
“My dad took it seriously,” he says, adding, however, “He wouldn’t sell any whiskey.”
While Dick has spent his career in the bar business, he does pass on a bit of wisdom, “I learned at an early age that stuff is here to sell. It’s not here to drink. You can’t possibly out-drink your customers.”
Dick has a brother who was manager of the Bozeman American Legion club, until it blew up in March 2009. Another brother works at the Broken Arrow in Deer Lodge.
Of that March explosion, just across the street from the Eagles Club, Dick says he had a ringside seat. “I was outside when it happened, and then watched people running across the street to avoid falling debris. It’s a miracle there weren’t more deaths.”
While Dick didn’t gravitate toward private clubs through any career plan, it’s evident that it’s where he found job satisfaction. He admits, “It’s definitely difficult. We can’t exist without volunteers. It’s the core of the business.” Then he goes on to say, “Some people like to work with volunteers. I like to work with a lot of volunteers. It’s just more fun.”
He admits that volunteers need some rewards. “You have to give your volunteers an occasional free drink. That’s a lot different from the Livery Stable. There we never gave anything away.”
Working for a volunteer board of directors can often pose challenges, though Dick says that has never been a problem.
“I’ve always watched the bottom line, and could point to that," he says. “It’s always a lot better if you run the place like it was your own, and take care of it as if it was your own. Then there are no problems.”
Dick also appreciates that as manager for a fraternal organization he can facilitate some community service.
“We get a chance, occasionally, to step back and pat someone on the back a little,” he says. As an example, on the day of the interview with Montana Tavern Times, the Montana Special Olympics were having their state spring meet in Bozeman. The Eagles Club was hosting an evening dinner for all the many volunteers coming to Bozeman for the event. “It’s a part of the job that gives me a lot of satisfaction,” he says.
The transition to retirement started in mid-May. Jim Walker, a long-time Bozeman hospitality business veteran, who recently sold his business, Jimbo’s Junction City Saloon, in Custer, started work at the Eagles Club to get oriented and to phase into taking over the club’s management.
On June 1, however, Dick will walk away from the Eagles Club. “I’ll keep my word—I’ll stay until June 1.”
After that, “I’m looking forward to taking some time so my wife and I can do some things, especially after all these years.” It’ll be a gradual transition. His wife works for Blackhawk, a company that manufactures products for military and law enforcement agencies, and she plans to work a little longer.
One plan in the works is, “In August, my wife and I will be taking a trip to the West Coast to tour wineries.” He adds, “I really like the Washington and Oregon wineries where the people you talk to are the ones who do the work. They’re the owners and the winemakers.”
He recalls one winery visit near Salem, Ore. “It was a 100-degree day. I got into a conversation with the owner and he invited me to take a tour of the vineyard—which is almost unheard of. We spent a lot of time walking around the vineyard, all the time sipping wine. We left and I think we drove about 10 miles and then checked into a motel.”
In addition, Dick says, “Believe it or not, I’m really into drag racing, and there are some big ones out there, and we can usually visit the pits and talk to the competitors.” He adds, “I’m really into cars. I love to go to car shows.”
Dick has had a long love affair with classic cars and recalls fondly that at one time he owned one of the great classics, a 1938 Duesenberg. He also had a 1949 Mercury, another classic.
Of those classic cars, he recalls efforts at fixing them up. “Then I ran out of money and had to sell them.” He sometimes wonders what happened to those old cars. “I’d guess they worked on them until they ran out of money and then they sold them.”
Dick wants to spend more time getting better acquainted with his home state of Montana.
“There are a lot of places I’ve never been,” he says. “We want to spend a good month just looking around Montana.”
Dick and his wife also have grown children scattered around Montana, plus one in Oregon, and they plan to spend more time keeping up with family activities.
In a reflective mood, Dick says, “I know I’ve really enjoyed the business and the people. But it does take a lot of time.” He points out the reality that the busiest times in the business are evenings and weekends, when other people are off work and want to play.
“I’d just love to have a New Year’s Eve off—just one.” Dick pauses and laughs. “I’ll probably be in bed by 10 p.m.”
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, May 2009, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W Granite, Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.