Obituary + photograph drawn from: https://obittree.com/obituary/us/colorado/denver/fairmount-funeral-home/grace-jordan/3597841/ on 7-14-2020.
Grace Alice Hale was born August 11, 1918. The first girl and child of Moses and Grace Hale. Dr. Justina Ford assisted with the delivery. She attended Mitchell, Cole and Manual Public Schools. Upon graduation, she became a student at the University of Denver, earning a BS Degree in 1940 with a major in education. Later she attended the University of Michigan.
Her first teaching job was in Lubbock, Texas. She spent two years there then worked at the YMCA USO. She also worked as a Health Educator for the Denver Tuberculosis Association, May 1945 – January 1948. As the first Health Education Secretary in Colorado, she was responsible for the initiation and development of a health education program with concentration for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. After postgraduate work at the University of Michigan, grace met George Jordan while visiting friends in Washington, D.C. An MIT graduate, George was recruited by the State Department’s Agency for International Development as a chief consulting engineer in 1954.
She discontinued employment following her marriage to George R. Jordan, July 6, 1952. This union brought her a new life of living abroad when George gave up his contracting business and became a Consultant Engineer in the Agency for International Development, Department of State. Starting in 1954, they lived in Port of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies. While there, Grace was a substitute teacher at the American School, US Navy Base.
An honors graduate of Manual High School and the University of Denver, Grace had always been passionate about education, public health, culture and diversity. She was one of the original members of Denver’s CORE (Committee on Racial Equality) group in the 1940s and Vice President of the local NAACP.
The couple spent 18 years traveling the world as George supervised projects in the West Indies, Ghana, Korea, Ecuador, and Thailand. Grace immersed herself in the volunteer opportunities and challenges of each land.
In 1959, they moved to Ghana, West Africa and were able to attend the first All African People’s Conference, and participate in activities celebrating the first year of independence. Grace did volunteer work with the local community. Social life included three affairs at the palace given by Prime Minister Nkruma.
November 1935, a new assignment took them to Seoul, Korea. George continued his work and Grace became a secretary in the US Operations Mission to Korea to the Chiefs of Communications, Public Safety, then the Legal Advisors. After visiting stateside in 1962, they moved again to Quito, Ecuador, South America. Community work in various capacities of the Ladies Church Group of the Interdenominational Church and was the chief money raiser. She served as President of the Damas Norteamericanas Y Britanicas. In addition to AWARE, Grace had been an active board and committee member for dozens of Denver charities, including the Volunteers of America Guild, Heart for Life and Samaritan House, and she served on the committee of the African-American Research Library. Her commitment to the equal rights was recognized with the 1996 Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award.
The couple moved back to Denver when George’s health declined in the 1970s. When George developed Alzheimer’s disease in 1978, Grace was his primary caregiver.
Friends Foundation Board of Trustees member Grace H. Jordan had received the annual Juanita R. Gray Award for outstanding service to the community and the Denver Public Library. The award was presented by Denver City Auditor Wellington Webb at the annual Black Awareness Celebration on March 4, at the Ford Warren Library.
Grace Jordan had been active in the community for many years. Most recently, she was a chairperson for the fall “The Magic of Henry”, a fund-raising event for the Library honoring Denver theater personality Henry Lowenstein.
In 1988, she received the Citizen of the Year Award for the contributions to the annual scholarship program from the Denver alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. She also had been active in many other civic and cultural organizations including: the American Association of University Women; Networking Program for the Elderly and Underprivileged (R.S.V.P); Denver Symphony Guild; and League of Women Voters.
Grace also was a Charter member of Denver's first Alzheimer's AWARE Association. She was the 2002 AWARE honoree at a reception and luncheon honoring her service. Grace Jordan dedicated over 50 years to volunteerism, and community activism, both in Denver and around the world. Grace attended Denver's first Alzheimer's Association Meeting in 1980 - just one week after losing her husband, George, to the disease. She had been a steadfast supporter of Alzheimer's disease research ever since. Guests and relatives came from out of state to share, such as Patti Reagan, and her nephew and his wife from California. A photo of Grace with her sister appeared in the Denver Post.
Grace was the eldest child of Grace Bradford Hale and Moses S. Hale. Three younger sisters. Two predeceased and one surviving Frances Mozetta Currin. Two nephews, Dr. Sheridan Hale Grones and Windsor Marc Currin, also their children.