The Perfect Present

Jordan Family Ties to Bremen and Education Inspire Ultimate Gift

At Christmas time in 2006, Jack Jordan and his wife, Dr. Hope Jordan, were struggling with gift ideas for Jack’s parents, Roland and Shirley Jordan. At that point, Jack’s father was nearing the end of his battle with cancer and his mother simply stated they had all they needed – the gift of another day together. Jack and Hope were faced with the dilemma of finding a “meaningful gift.”

Jack and Hope decided to give Roland and Shirley the gift of a scholarship that was to be awarded to a Bremen High School graduate. This was the ideal gift given the family history in Bremen as one of the founding 32 families in the 1800’s. Jack’s mother was a sixth generation “Bremen-ite” and BHS graduate. Jack and his sister Beth were seventh generation “Bremen-ites” and their children are the eight generation. In addition, Shirley was the Bremen High School secretary for several years and had always said that she loved “those goofy Mountain Dew guzzling kids.” This gift – the gift of giving - couldn’t have been more meaningful to Jack’s father and mother and was received with excitement, emotion and gratitude.

After the first scholarship was awarded at the 2007 Bremen High School graduation ceremony, the Jordans decided the scholarship should be a permanent gift that would connect the Jordan family to Bremen for many more generations. The Jordan Family Scholarship Fund was established at the Marshall County Community Foundation on July 6, 2007. This gift will continue to be a source of encouragement for Bremen graduates in the years and decades ahead.

Photo Caption: Wedding picture of Roland and Shirley Jordan, Married June 1, 1958 in Bremen, IN