Gussie Jones has worked with disabled people for 16 years, and for her, the little victories still make the biggest difference. Jones was looking for a job for her daughter Becky when she happened along the public education manager position at the Greene County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Her daughter didn't want to relocate from Columbus, where her husband- to-be lived, so Jones "kinda fell into the job and I've been here ever since. I love it." Over the years she's earned a reputation of going above and beyond the call of duty, said Ralph Harper, county commissioner. "As long as I have known Gussie Jones she has always been giving to some project that goes way beyond the scope of her employment," Harper said. "She is a true asset to the community." Her work ethic can easily be seen in the success of the MRDD annual golf outing that has raised nearly $300,000 in the past 15 years to pay for maintenance of the homes the agency owns to house clients around the county. The golf outing is such a success, Jones has been tapped by several organizations to help plan similar events. The Beavercreek chamber is one of those groups; Jones has been a member since the 1980s when she and her late husband, Don, owned the Beavercreek Hallmark store.

Chamber director Clete Buddelmeyer calls Jones "one of the most caring, honorable and hard-working individuals I've known."