David C. Jordan, 80, of Athens, GA, passed away on November 5, 2008 in Athens. Jordan was a native of Crawford, GA, and a charter student of TMC, enrolling in September 1947 when the college opened its doors to students. Two years later, he received an associate’s degree in the first graduating class in June of 1949.
After leaving Truett-McConnell, Jordan attended Mercer University and the University of Georgia. He taught school in Clarke and Madison Counties and later became Director of the State of Georgia YMCA, from which he retired after 30 years of service. In 1989 he was elected Honorary Life Member of the Georgia YMCA board, and in 2006, the Georgia YMCA created the DAVID C. JORDAN AWARD to be given each year to the Georgia YMCA Teacher of the Year. He was also a bivocational minister, serving as pastor of several churches in Oglethorpe, Clarke and Greene Counties for 52 years.
Survivors include his wife, Jo; a niece and several cousins.
Jordan’s influence is still strong at Truett-McConnell because he was the designer of the college seal during the first college term. Mr. H. W. (Pop) Rohrer, Assistant to the President of TMC, helped Jordan plan the basic concepts that the seal should convey, and Jordan did the art work that produced the college seal.
Since that time, the design of the seal has been refined several times to reflect and accommodate upgraded computer and digital technology, but the basic design and elements of the seal remain the same ones that David Jordan designed in the fall of 1947.
The various elements in the seal’s design represent concepts that were vital in establishing the college in 1946 and still form the foundation on which the institution rests.
- The open book represents the Bible, the word of God to the world.
- The lighted torch held in front of the open book conveys the message that the Bible provides light to the world.
- Arched above the torch is the Latin phrase Veritas Liberat (“truth liberates” or “truth sets free”).
- The date 1946 is the year Truett-McConnell College was established.
- Around the outside perimeter of the seal is the name of the college and its location.
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| Original seal drawn by hand by David Jordan in 1947 |
Together, the elements of the seal proclaim that, since 1946, Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia, has been an institution which demonstrates that God’s word is the light of the world and that the search for truth in learning sets people free from the bondage of ignorance and darkness. The lighted torch in the college’s seal inspired the flame of knowledge which burns in the institution’s logo today.
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