Georgia Tech Athletics Donor Profile: Lewis Jordan

Lewis Jordan was an ardent Georgia Tech fan growing up in Griffin, Georgia, but he never thought he'd end up there as a student, much less as one of the school's most prominent alums.

At a young age, Jordan's father introduced him to Tech football, and they followed it religiously during the program's heyday in the '50s under the direction of legendary coach Bobby Dodd.

"It was in my blood as I grew up," Jordan remembered. "Those are some of my fondest memories, listening to games on the radio with my dad."

While he was in awe of Tech athletics, Jordan had always heard the horror stories that emanated from North Avenue regarding the academic rigors of the school. He believed there was no chance of even being accepted at the school, and besides, no one in his family had attended college for more than a brief period, so the high school senior set his sights on a military career.

Just a short time prior to graduating from Griffin High School, Jordan explained his decision to his school guidance counselor. "You are too capable to not go to college. Isn't there somewhere you'd like to go?" she asked.

"I was faced with the question," related Jordan, "so I said, 'I would very much like to go to Georgia Tech, but I was told that I probably couldn't get in and my family can't afford it.'"

The counselor responded by making a phone call to the Tech registrar's office and explained Jordan's predicament. The fall class was already full, but based upon the counselor's recommendation, the school offered him admission for the summer quarter, just two weeks away. If he passed his classes over the summer, he'd be allowed to continue in the fall and he could apply for the co-op program.

At freshman orientation, Jordan heard Dean George Griffin deliver the famous "Look to your left, look to your right speech," which reinforced his insecurities about the difficult curriculum.

"When I first came to the campus, I was very well prepared for the first week or two," he recalled. "After the third week, I was six weeks behind. All of a sudden, I was wondering what had happened. It didn't seem that difficult at first, and now it was extremely difficult. It really took a couple of years to find the right balance among work, play and academics."

Jordan's father and grandfather had scraped together $600 for initial expenses, but the freshman knew that he would have to find an alternate way to continue to pay for tuition and expenses. Tech's renowned co-op program was a perfect fit, allowing him to work every other quarter to earn money and industry experience. As an Aerospace Engineering major, Jordan interviewed with several aerospace manufacturers and airlines and was selected for a position with Atlanta's Southern Airways.

The co-op experience with the regional airline materialized into a full-time position upon graduation in 1967. A 17-year stint with the company culminated with his rise to Assistant Vice President of Technical Operations. When Southern was merged into Republic Airlines he moved to the Los Angeles-based Flying Tigers, which at the time was the world's largest air cargo carrier, and he eventually became the company's President and COO.

Even though he was on the opposite end of the country, Jordan still followed Tech athletics. "I moved away and spent my time building a career and raising a family," he said. "I didn't have any active involvement with Georgia Tech. My only real connection was through football."

He and a group of west coast alums even went as far as flying in food from The Varsity and arranging for closed-circuit television transmission of the Georgia-Georgia Tech football game one year.

In 1986, Jordan joined Continental Airlines and rose to become its President and COO. He was there for seven years before leaving to co-found ValuJet Airlines (today known as AirTran). The move brought him back to Atlanta in the early 1990's, and gave him the opportunity to take a more active role within the Georgia Tech community.

Jordan served six years on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, and he his now a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation's Board of Trustees where he has served on several committees and chaired the Development Committee. As a Golden Life member of the Alexander-Tharpe Fund, he has also made a commitment towards the continued success of the athletic programs.

He has ensured that his family's generous contributions be split evenly between academic and athletic programs because he believes that the combination of the two programs is part of what makes Georgia Tech great.

"One of the things I'm so proud of is that we aggressively pursue both academic and athletic excellence," Jordan stated. "If you look at a school like MIT, even though they are highly regarded, there is nothing there like the tradition of Georgia Tech sports.

"I think the love I have for Georgia Tech is in large part because I can be very proud of the education and, at the same time really enjoy the quality of the athletic program," he said. "You can spend your time applying an excellent education in your career all week long, and then go have fun at a football, basketball or baseball game. We can all be proud of such a well rounded program."

These days, Jordan is the chairman of Wingspread Enterprises, a consulting and investment firm he founded five years ago. He and his wife Peggy have six children, as well as five grandchildren with two more on the way.

Despite his busy schedule, Jordan is as ardent as ever and rarely misses a Georgia Tech home game.