'Mayor of O'Hare' gets Social Security

CHICAGO, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- After nearly 20 years of wandering airline terminals as a homeless panhandler, Clement Jones Jr. is finally on Social Security.

The 72-year-old Jones, sometimes called the "Mayor of O'Hare," could not receive federal or state benefits until this month, after the Waukegan nursing home, Pinnacle Health Care, ended an 18-month search for his identity, the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday.

"When I saw his name on the check, that was the most gratifying thing," said Porshia Glass, financial and social services administrator at Pinnacle.

She enlisted the help of the Tribune after Jones, who has dementia, had been living at Pinnacle and receiving treatment for free for a year.

After recognizing Jones from his photograph and story in the newspaper on Oct. 23, employees at O'Hare International Airport helped Glass obtain enough information about him to apply for benefits.

Jones was surprised to learn he qualified for benefits.

"It's about time," he said, grinning about his newfound status Friday.