It is with humble thanks and gratitude that the descendants of Professor Joseph Fletcher Jordan and Annie B. Willis wish to thank Tracy Agnew and the Suffolk News Herald for all of the publicity that they gave to the Jordan School Reunion, held over the Labor Day weekend.

Tracy was always there and available to assist us in getting any and all publicity to the masses for us. Truly, she stepped up and showed us what a good reporter is all about.

This reunion was a testimony to the legacy of our grandfather and also a testimony to where and what that legacy has become in relationship to the city of Suffolk, to Virginia and to the world.

The graduates of the Jordan Normal Training School, Jordan Neighborhood House and the Jordan School and Kindergarten have, indeed, made a mark and will continue to make a mark as we pass down this legacy of higher learning and leadership to our children and children’s children.

From 1885 to 1984, the Jordan School left its mark. There at 179 Tyne St., the lessons learned and experiences students had impacted the lives of all that were educated within those walls, and that was never more evident than over Labor Day weekend, as the Jordan School graduates came together.

That is why the family of Professor Joseph Fletcher Jordan and Annie B. Willis established the Joseph Fletcher Jordan/Annie B. Willis scholarship to assist needy students seeking higher learning. That is how the family will keep the Jordan School and Kindergarten’s legacy alive.

We beseech all those who want to be a part of this legacy to donate to this fund as we attempt to change and empower lives through this scholarship. What happened there at 179 Tyne St. cannot and will not be forgotten.

Many of us are now doctors, lawyers, business owners, career military, CEOs and the like and all because of the experiences, academically and professionally, that we had there. Please visit the school’s website at www.jordanschoolreunion.com, email us at jordanschoolreunion@yahoo.com or sent donations and correspondence to Jordan School Foundation P.O. Box 1623 Suffolk, Va. 23434. Your donations will truly impact lives, as well as continue the Jordan School legacy.

Again, thank you so much Tracy Agnew and the Suffolk News Herald for stepping up and showing the community what an impact a hometown paper has.