LITTLE ROCK— In late October, Leticia Jones, MD, picked up Lyon College’s Patterson Decade Award. Jones and her husband, David, whom she met at the Batesville college, may very well be the only husband and wife to earn the prestigious award. Yet Jones jokingly calls herself the black sheep of her family.

“I’m the only one so far who hasn’t pursued music as a career,” said Jones, the second of 10 children born to music educators. Her dad, James Liddell, who died recently, retired as band director at Dollarway Junior High School in Pine Bluff. Her mother, Vickie, is band director for the district’s Dollarway High School. “Most of my siblings are natural musicians and vocalists, and my own children have shown an early musicial inclination.”  

Jones, an OB/GYN at Grace Clinic for Women in Little Rock, was born in the capitol city of Arkansas, and moved with the family to Charlotte, N.C., at the age of six. Before relocating to Pine Bluff as a high school sophomore, an experience changed the way she viewed life.

“I participated in mission trips to inner city areas in New York with my youth group,” she recalled. “During one trip, one of my assistant youth pastors showed me what it’s like to truly care for others. It was around 2 a.m. and we were handing out food and toiletries to the homeless. When we came to one couple, we gave them what we had and prayed for them. The man thanked us, but explained that what he really needed was a job … that no one ever gave him the time of day when he showed up in his old clothes. My youth pastor gave the man the very nice sweater off his own back, prayed for him, and told him he would continue to pray that God blesses him. I’ll never forget that exchange. Giving to others in time and deed and showing God’s love for mankind will always be a priority for me.”

Even though vocal and instrumental music was an early influence, Jones chose to earn a chemistry degree. 

“When I was young, I was the kid who wanted to be many things, including being a doctor, astronaut, architect, cosmetologist, singer and dancer, and the first women president,” she said. “With age, I narrowed my career choices and ultimately dreamed of being a doctor. The more I learned about science and the human body, the more amazed and awed I was about how it all works.” 

After marrying David early in college, Jones gave birth to twins during her junior year, which coincided with David’s first year of law school.

“Getting through college and medical school with a family was my greatest challenge,” she admitted. “That time period is a blur. David was commuting more than three hours a day. We did everything everyone said not to do. Both of us were goal-oriented; we persevered.” 

While studying at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Jones read aloud textbooks to the twins and later practiced patient interviews on them. More importantly, “I was able to spend time with them and study,” she said.

Jones entered medical school with one strong thought in mind: not specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. “In fact, I think I said this aloud to my husband,” she said. “Even though we had children, my knowledge of the specialty was limited. What I did know I thought was enough to confirm that it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I planned to become an emergency medicine doctor or ENT. As a third year medical student, I completed an OB/GYN rotation and absolutely fell in love. For me, it’s the best of medicine. It allows me to treat women with medicine or surgery, as well as participate in one of the most important days in a family’s life – the birth of their child. It’s a privilege and an honor and I don’t take it lightly. I feel blessed to be able to do what I do.”

Today, Jones works in private practice at the Grace Clinic for Women, specializing in general OB/GYN and adolescent gynecology. Her most recent project has been submitted to one of the premier peer-reviewed OB/GYN journals. Her husband is an attorney with the Wright Lindsey & Jennings LLP law firm. The twins, Austin and Alexis, are now 11 – Austin is elder by two minutes – and daughter, Ashley, is nine years old.

“Despite our hectic professional and personal lives, we share a successful partnership in marriage and parenthood,” she said. “All of the children love to play basketball and run track. This summer, all three qualified for and competed at the Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) Junior Olympics for Track. David and I enjoy watching them play and believe it builds confidence and makes them well-rounded. Earlier this year, the girls won a basketball championship that ended with Alexis at the free throw line, making the game-winning shot and later accepting the league MVP Award.  Given their off-court personalities, it’s sometimes hard to believe that they’re such tenacious basketball players.”

All three children are musically inclined, with Austin learning to play the French horn, Alexis the flute, and Ashley the cello. The twins also participated in a show choir last year and are currently members of their school choir.

“Austin is the science fanatic in the family,” she said. “If the subject is space, insects, reptiles or dinosaurs, he’s your man. Alexis is interested in art, reading and writing, and Ashley shares these interests. Alexis isn’t interested in following in my footsteps; her first question when someone’s injured is, ‘Am I going to see anything gross?’ All of the kids are such avid readers that I have to make a second walk-through to enforce lights out.”

Even though Jones’ patients regularly share that her love of medicine comes across in her treatment of them, “I think my patients and colleagues would be surprised that my passion for singing may exceed even my love of medicine,” she said.  

Jones, who probably would’ve been a professional musician if she hadn’t chosen a medical career, sings in the church choir and plans to become more involved in local musical shows. Until then, she’s relishing being the recipient of her alma mater’s most prestigious award.

“In light of the many overachievers with whom I graduated, being selected the recipient of Lyon College’s Patterson Decade Award means a lot to me,” she said. “If anything, I hope our story can be an example for others. You truly can accomplish your goals through faith in God, hard work, and perseverance.”

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