Jones and a childhood friend both claimed his father was associated with the Ku Klux Klan, which had become very popular in Depression-era Indiana. Jones recounted how he and his father argued on the issue of race, and how he did not speak with his father for "many, many years" after he refused to allow one of Jones's black friends into his house. Jones's parents separated, and Jones relocated with his mother to Richmond, Indiana. In December 1948, he graduated from Richmond High School early with honors.