Kenneth Jordan

Kenneth Wayne Jordan, whose love for sports (particularly the Kansas City Chiefs), was second only to his love for his wife and son, died April 8, surrounded by family and friends. He was 71 years old. Mr. Jordan had fought heart ailments for many years, but that rarely stopped him from rallying to make family gatherings and enjoying vacation travel with his wife, Marsha A. Walker Jordan and their son, Raymond Lamont Jordan. With a banquet room full of family and friends, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September (2024).

Mr. Jordan was the third of three sons and – as their mother said, “finally” – a daughter for R.M. Jordan and Amanda Barker Jordan. He also was the only one of the four children born in Kansas City, Missouri, where the family had lived during the 1950s. The family returned to Malvern, Arkansas, where a youthful Kenneth Jordan went to elementary school and played Little League baseball. He was so proud of making the team that en route to a game in Benton, Arkansas, Kenneth stood up and leaned over the front seat so he would not wrinkle his uniform. He wouldn’t admit it, but that was the earliest indicator of his penchant for crisply ironed slacks and shirts, a dress code that followed him through his career in law enforcement and later at what then was the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

Mr. Jordan’s father was called to service as a Baptist minister and his second church prompted the family’s move to Van Buren, Arkansas, where Mr. Jordan spent his formative years, particularly in athletics. He shortened his name to “Ken,” and told family that’s how he would be known when he “turned pro.” He was “honorable mention” All-State center for the Van Buren Pointers after the 1971 season. He graduated from VBHS in 1972 and attended Ouachita Baptist University, where he played one year of football there. At Ouachita, he also pledged the historic African American fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, and was initiated under the tutelage of the UA-Pine Bluff Gamma Sigma Chapter in the fall of 1973. That achievement enabled him to join in the establishment of an Ouachita-Henderson State chapter. He was a charter member of the Hot Springs, Arkadelphia, Malvern Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi.

Mr. Jordan enjoyed football so much that he played on a semi-pro team that was based in Little Rock. He also loved softball and formed an enduring corps of friends through travels for ball games and tournaments.

Mr. Jordan possessed the gift of gab, which made his work life equally as fascinating as his sports travels. He worked as a deputy in the Garland County Sheriff’s Department. That prepared him for duty with the Arkansas Highway Police. Mr. Jordan beamed with pride when he was chosen to join officers from around the United States to serve on the Security Force for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

On duty at the Highway Patrol, Mr. Jordan relayed small segments of accounts of drug interdictions and similarly difficult assignments. His family was joyful when he was promoted to a position off the road as Safety Inspection Officer in 1997. Three years later he became Section Head of Training and Safety. His service to public safety was extended, though, as he led classes for police officers and transportation officials from around the United States. He was honored for his work in the classroom and was elected national president of the North American Association of Transportation Safety & Health Officials (NAATSHO).

Mr. Jordan’s heart, ailing though it did for several years, always was big enough to embrace not only his family and his siblings, but he welcomed a large, extended family of in-laws, cousins, fraternity brothers and dear, dear friends. He held high the Jordan family motto: “If you grin, you’re in.” Mr. Jordan never passed an opportunity to stir laughter…even if sometimes the joking backfired. He always recovered quickly with a quip or prank, especially when he could count on his Detroit cousin, Kathy Hemingway, to assist.

Mr. Jordan is survived by his wife Marsha of the home, son Lamont of Little Rock; brothers Charles N. Jordan I, of Winter Garden, Florida, and Gerald (Elizabeth) of Fayetteville; a sister, Vonzelle Jordan of Fort Smith, and a family treasure of nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.