Jordans owed our gratitude

By The Daily Progress

Published: November 26, 2008

Monticello has long been a focus of pride and identity for our area.

But its current position as a major economic powerhouse has been largely due to the work of Dan Jordan, who until last month was president and CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns Monticello.
Last week, Mr. Jordan and his wife, Lou, received the Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award from the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
This is perhaps the most prominent award given by any group in the area.
Monticello and the memory of Jeffer-son have grown in stature in its years with Mr. Jordan at the helm, 1985-2008. To name just a few advances:

—A $122 million endowment fund.
—A new visitors and education center.
—Creation of an international center for Jefferson scholarship.

In addition, Thomas Jefferson’s international reputation was enhanced as astute leadership at Monticello capitalized on both the history of the past and history in the making.
When the Iron Curtain crumbled and Eastern Europe emerged into the sunlight seeking information about Amer-ica’s founding and the Declaration of Independence, the team at Monticello was well equipped to foster discussion of Jeffersonian ideals.
This discussion in turn helped advance democracy overseas.
When the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition ap-proached, Monticello and its project partners used the event to encourage re-examination of a key event in U.S. history.
Since the expedition was envisioned and supported by Jefferson, Jefferson’s Monticello was the launching and culmination point of a multi-year commemoration.
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s efforts in these and other endeavors has enhanced Monticello’s stature as a symbol of American freedom and as a must-see tourist destination.

This in turn has helped fuel economic prosperity for the region.
Throughout all this, Lou Jordan has been her husband’s partner — including in his work for Monticello.
She has been the gracious hostess at many Monticello events and has provided her support to the foundation in countless other ways. For instance, she also founded a chamber concert series in the Jefferson Library at Monticello.
Plus, in a separate sphere of influence, she has contributed in numerous ways to the community.

She is an accomplished artist whose work has been widely exhibited.
She has served as president of the Contemporary Club of Albemarle and has been active with the Rivanna Garden Club, the National Society for Arts & Letters, and Women United in Philanthropy.
And in addition to all this, the Jordans are simply genuinely nice people — gracious, kind, hospitable exemplars of old-fashioned Southern charm, presented in the best possible manner.

We are pleased to see their decades of work for the community honored with the McIntire Citizenship Award, and extend our congratulations.