Henry A. Jordan M.D.

Henry A. Jordan, M.D., civic leader, philanthropist and notable wood carver, died April 19 after a short illness at his home in Chester Springs. He was 73.

Dr. Jordan grew up in Stroudsburg, the son of two doctors, Claus and Charlotte.

He graduated from Exeter Academy and Harvard College, where he excelled as a rower. Dr. Jordan went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. A founding director of the Institute of Behavioral Education and member of the faculty of Psychiatry at Penn, he developed a specialty in behavior modification and wrote many books on the subject of obesity and healthy diets.

Pursuing a wide range of interests, Dr. Jordan served for 20 years as executive director and board chair of the Claneil Foundation, an innovative family foundation dedicated to addressing inequalities in access to nutritious food, health services and education and the environment.

He had extraordinary vision and leadership in the nonprofit world. He founded the Countryside Institute, later to become Glynwood Center in Cold Spring, N.Y., and was a founder and emeritus chairman of the Chester County Community Foundation. In addition, he was chairman emeritus of the board of directors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, chair of the Campaign for Penn Medicine, co-chair of the university's Making History Campaign, president of the Preservation Trust of Vermont Inc. and a member of the board of trustees of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and of the National Parks Conservation Association. The recipient of numerous awards for his visionary leadership and philanthropic commitment, he was celebrated by all who knew him as a person who cared.

Despite his many accomplishments, an unending fondness for travel and a lifetime interest in learning, Henry Jordan's greatest love was for his family. In addition to his wife, Barbara "Barrie," he is survived by three sons, Charles of Chester Springs, Michael of Plymouth Meeting and Douglas of Philadelphia; three daughters, Anne of Kirkwood, Karen of Chadds Ford and Gretchen of Bedford Corners, N.Y.; and, soon to be, 13 grandchildren. In addition, he leaves three sisters, Liz of Woodstock, Vt., Gretchen of Washington, D.C., and Judy of Lexington, Mass. He also leaves behind cherished spouses of his children; his cousin, Michael, from Lake Forest, Ill.; nephews and nieces; and a loyal group of family and friends.

Henry Jordan will be most remembered for his compassion, generous sense of humor and boyish streak of mischievousness. A dedicated carver, he left a legacy of robust farm maidens, strong woodsmen, exotic fish and a trail of wood shavings on the floor of his shed in Hardwick, Vt., his ocean terrace in Cotton Bay, Eleuthera, and in his carving studio in Chester Springs.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 24, at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, Ft. Washington.

For friends wishing to make a contribution in Henry's honor, the family has chosen the Preservation Trust of Vermont, 104 Church St., Burlington, VT 95401. You may also consider Penn Medicine's Jordan Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, c/o Penn Medicine Development, 3535 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Donations should be made out to the trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.


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