Thomas S. Jordan Jr. ’55

Tom, one of the most loyal and agreeable members of our class, died Jan. 6, 2023, in Chico, Calif. 

Born Sept. 3, 1933, in Panama City, Fla., Tom attended Randolph-Macon Academy, where he participated in tennis, football, basketball, journalism and student government. At Princeton, he studied at the Woodrow Wilson School and joined Cottage Club. He lettered in tennis all four years and in senior year roomed with Kirk Davidson, Ed Semans, and Barry Kessler. After graduation and two years in the Army, he graduated from Harvard Law School. 

In Palo Alto, Calif., he became a forceful legal champion for the environment, leading cases that preserved the coastal hills along the South Bay Peninsula and the Save the Bay case that established the public’s right to protect San Francisco Bay wetlands from being filled. Tom loved gardening and music, serving as president of both the San Jose Symphony and the historic Gamble Gardens.

Upon his death there was an outpouring of praise: “Tom was an amazing man. Smart, warm, funny, and committed to truth. Always doing the right thing and lending expert advice. Did I mention that he was charming with a great sense of humor?”

Tom was a strong supporter of the class, the Alumni Corps and the 1746 Society for planned giving. He once said, “In a world that has many disappointments, Princeton is the finest place/institution/group of people that I know.”

He is survived by his four children, Amy, Annie, Thomas, Kate; and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Linda, and his second wife, Madge.