October 9, 2014
Section C
Living
{Earl and Mary Jordan}
Giving Back to the Community By Lori Kirkpatrick Contributing Writer
Maple Hill residents Earl and Mary Jordan are well-known for their many ongoing contributions to Pender County. They are both retired from the education field, but together they continue teaching others what it means to give back to the community. Mary was reared in Maple Hill, mostly by her grandmother in the early years. Surrounded by love, she was taught to care for other people. She was also the first in her family to finish high school and college. Earl grew up in the Calico Bay area of Burgaw, in a family of six children. All finished high school, five received bachelor’s degrees, and three of them earned master’s degrees. These are notable accomplishments for anyone, but especially during a time when many people had to leave school to go to work. The two met as students at C.F. Pope High School. After graduation, Mary attended Elizabeth City State University while Earl finished college at St. Augustus in Raleigh. Mary said “the cute part of it” is that they eloped and got married in 1963, two years before finishing college. The newlyweds waited several months to share the news with their families. The couple accepted their first teaching jobs in Farmville, and a year later, returned home to Maple Hill. Mary taught at Maple Hill Elementary for a year before taking on the challenge of being Director of the first Head Start program in Pender County, located in Maple Hill. She got the program off the ground and remained there for four years, while Earl taught at C.F. Pope High School from 1966-70. Mary enjoyed her work in the Head Start program. “I like finding and trying new things. I like interventions and inventions,” she said with her usual confidence. Mary taught at Penderlea for three years as she and Earl started their family. Their first son, Lindric, was born in 1966 and Garrick came along in 1969. Upon the inception of Pender High School about 1975, Mary and Earl were chosen among teacher leaders to help ease the transition involved in combining three schools. Students came from Penderlea, Burgaw and Atkinson high schools to form the new Pender High School. What was expected to be a difficult time of change ended up being a rather smooth one, due to the leadership of people like the Jordans.
Mary and Earl stayed at Pender High for four years, and Earl continued his career at Topsail High until 1988. He also coached basketball and baseball over the years. After being employed in a middle school program at the Board of Education for a couple of years, Mary worked as the assistant principal at Burgaw Elementary for the next two years. She took on her first principal position at Willard Elementary School in 1983. The building has since become known as Willard
Outreach Center. Mary became principal at Topsail Primary (K-2) in 1985, and continued at Topsail Elementary. She helped establish South Topsail Elementary when the school split into North and South, and retired from South Topsail in 1999 after 34 years as an educator. Earl traveled to various schools teaching PE. He remembers when the gym was built at Rocky Point and he no longer had to teach in classrooms. He retired in 1997, but continued as a sports recruiter for colleges. Mary said her grandest memories of Pender County Schools are of the tremendous rapport she had with board members, superintendents, parents, teachers and students. Earl has similar fond memories of coworkers and students he worked with and has stayed in contact with over time. “I tried to give back to my staff, support
them, and push for them not to be afraid to be innovative. I turned them loose to be the best that they could be. Everyone knew at Topsail Elementary we were a package deal. From my custodians to my teachers to all my staff, I was there to bear the brunt of the storm. When you allow your teachers to be themselves and you come together, the togetherness brings strength. I had to be bold so my teachers could be strong, and together we could build strong students. Nobody had to work in fear of lack of support,” said Mary. Mae Borneman, a retired South
Topsail teacher, has fond memories of the years she worked with Mary. “Mary Jordan demonstrated kindness and concern as a leader. Her approach was genuine and confident in the way she stood behind her teachers. I loved working under Mrs. Jordan,” said Mae. Hampstead native Teresa Coston was a student in Mr. Jordan’s biology class at Topsail High, and she later worked under Mrs. Jordan’s administration at South Topsail. “Earl Jordan was a great teacher and Mary was a fantastic principal. It was a privilege
to work under her leadership. It’s an honor that Mary and Earl had a part of molding me into the person I am today. The two of them are a true inspiration and I’m honored to call them my friends,” said Teresa. “Mary Jordan was the most supportive principal I have ever worked with,” said Deirdre Fabian, former PE teacher at South Topsail. “We always gave her 120 percent because we always knew she would support us as a staff. As I got my administration credentials, Mary Jordan was always a good example of what a principal should be.” In addition to all of their educational experience, the Jordans own a retail store behind their house in Maple Hill. MJ’s This & That started with a few small items like earrings and purses, eventually adding clothing, hats and other items. The Jordans have been instrumental in many community programs over the years. Mary served on the Four County Electric Trust Fund, and was on the founding board for Topsail Kiwanis Club. She helped start Home Improvement and Save Our Schools (SOS), both after-school programs for students. She helped launch Maple Hill’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. The program moves from church to church in the community so that, as Mary says, “the children won’t forget.” She served on the Pender County DSS board, and is a member of the local Civic Club. The club initiated the annual Maple Hill Parade, and members collaborate to help the elderly, build scholarships for youth, and assist the homeless. Mary also served as President of C.F. Pope Alumni, Inc. to resurrect memories of the old high school. She has recently been nominated for an achievement award by Ladies of the Cape Fear. Since retirement, the Jordans have enjoyed some traveling, as well as time with their granddaughters, Deja and Cheli. They have also remained active in their church, St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. Mary said she attributes her success to her helper, God, and to good people. Mary believes in staying busy. “Once you set something up and get it going, I believe in moving on so others can grow. When you’ve been in something for a