UMW honored community leader Gladys White Jordan with its fourth-ever Monroe Medal in March.
University of Mary Washington awarded educator and community leader Gladys White Jordan its Monroe Medal in March. UMW has given only four such medals, which are among the university’s most distinguished honors. The Monroe Medal recognizes individuals who in some extraordinary way have provided lasting service to humanity and society.
Jordan, a retired, award-winning teacher, has long ties to Mary Washington. As a girl, she worked alongside her parents at Brompton, then the home of Dorothy and Grellet C. Simpson, Mary Washington president from 1956 until 1974.
“My mother worked as a housekeeper for the Simpsons,” the Stafford County native said. “I would help her when they had parties.”
Born in 1938, Jordan came of age when Virginia’s colleges and universities were segregated by race. She attended Virginia State College, where she earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. The Simpsons believed in her abilities and helped her with tuition.
In March, the Board of Visitors honored Jordan “in recognition of her perseverance to succeed in the face of discrimination and her lifelong commitment to education, social justice, and equal opportunity.”
Jordan retired in 1996 after 35 years of teaching. She was named teacher of the year twice in Richmond, where she has lived since 1960. The NAACP honored her as an “unsung hero.” The Franklin Military Academy, the first public military academy in the United States, where Jordan was among the first faculty members, named its chapter of the National Honor Society for her.
Jordan’s nephew, David White, graduated from UMW in 1991.