Don “Papa” Jordan Honored as Mississippi College Alumnus of the Year

Don "Papa" Jordan, MC's Alumnus of the Year

A prominent Tennessee businessman and longtime supporter of Mississippi College, Don “Papa” Jordan will be saluted as the university’s 2014 Alumnus of the Year.

A 1951 MC School of Business graduate, Jordan will be presented the prestigious honor at this fall’s Homecoming Dinner. The October 17 program at Anderson Hall that Friday evening begins at 6 p.m.

It’s the latest tribute to an incredible Mississippi College ambassador whose Pimento cheese sandwiches are the signature dish at his Holiday Deli & Ham restaurants in the Memphis area. Customers rave about the soups, salads, desserts, and wonderful breakfasts. They love Papa Jordan, too.

Don Jordan and his son, Trey, founded the popular family-friendly Tennessee restaurant chain. A thriving franchise operation, Pimento’s Café, became an instant hit with faculty, staff, students and alums on the Mississippi College campus, a few steps from Olde Towne Clinton.

A Kosciusko native, Don Jordan earned his MBA at Harvard, making him the first in MC history to achieve that distinction at the Ivy League school in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jordan considers the Mississippi College Alumnus of the Year award to be among his greatest lifetime honors. MC continues to be a special place in the Mississippian’s heart. “I will forever be grateful to the outstanding education and Christian values that I learned while at Mississippi College.”

Jordan has received kudos for establishing the Faith & Ethics Week programs at the MC School of Business. The event in February brings some of the South’s leading entrepreneurs to the Clinton campus to tell students how their faith is an integral part of their success in the business world. Jordan launched the series to spotlight the responsibilities, opportunities and challenges facing Christian business leaders.

Speakers have included William C. Rhodes III, chairman, president and chief executive with Memphis-based AutoZone, Inc. Trey Jordan, owner and president of Holiday Deli & Ham in Memphis, has joined the thought-provoking lineup of speakers. During the week, MC business professors emphasize faith and ethics in their lectures, whether it’s a management class or a human resources course.

For his tireless work for the university, Papa Jordan was previously named the School of Business Alumnus of the Year.

Being named the Baptist-affiliated university’s 2014 Alumnus of the Year is well-deserved for someone who’s meant so much to the MC family for decades, school leaders say.

“Papa Jordan is an exemplary alumnus whose love for his alma mater has been exemplified in his investment in the future of MC students,” says Ron Howard, vice president for academic affairs.

“He combines a deep love of MC with an outstanding career in the business world,” says School of Business Dean Marcelo Eduardo. “Don Jordan is a most deserving recipient of the Alumnus of the Year recognition.”

It’s been 63 years since Don Jordan graduated from Mississippi College. But he continues to have fond memories of one special MC teacher, Frances Skulley. Thanks to her encouragement he was able to attend the Harvard Business School. He became a successful leader with Wendy’s restaurants before opening his own restaurants with his son, Trey.

The Christian values he learned in Mississippi College classrooms are just as important to Papa Jordan more than six decades since his graduation day.

“As I age, I am more and more convinced of just how important the Christian worldview is. Particularly in today’s world, one cannot underestimate the importance of applying our Christian faith to our day-to-day life.”

When he’s not chatting with customers in his down-home style at his Memphis restaurants or talking up an MC education to potential students, Don Jordan relaxes by heading to the woods to go hunting.

The 2014 Homecoming Dinner on Friday October 17 begins at 6 p.m. at the B.C. Rogers Student Center. Tickets cost $20 and RSVP is required. For more information, contact Lori Bobo of the Alumni Affairs Office at 601-925-3252 or lbobo@mc.edu.