Brigadier General Amos Azariah “Joe” Jordan Jr. passed away in Bountiful, UT on June 7, 2018 at the age of 96. He was born in Twin Falls, ID on February 11, 1922, the first of seven children of Amos A. and Olive Fisher Jordan.
His family moved to Burley and then to Heyburn, ID, where Amos grew up. He was always proud of his Cassia and Minidoka County roots. He came of age during the Great Depression and learned early to work hard. That work ethic and tenacity combined with a remarkable intellect to produce an exceptional record of service in education, the military, civilian government, policy making, and business.
Seeing talent in the poor Idaho farm boy, Amos’ high school chemistry teacher suggested he go to West Point. Seeing few opportunities to better himself in Heyburn, he applied, thinking the military would make a good paying career. He was turned down, despite his straight-A grades, sports achievements and leadership roles in high school. After high school, while attending Idaho Southern College in Pocatello, ID, he met fellow student and local girl MarDeane “Polly” Carver at an afternoon tea dance. They became engaged during Christmas 1942. In 1943, he entered the Army Air Corp but continued to apply to West Point.
A wedding date was set for January 1944, at which time Amos thought he would be graduated from flight school and have his commission. He had applied to West Point each year for four years. The fourth try would be his last, as he would be too old to try again. This time he was accepted, but it meant postponing the wedding. Amos graduated West Point in 1946 in a three-year program instead of four-year one, because of the World War II demand for second lieutenants. At West Point, he was third in his class academically and was First Captain of the Corps of Cadets. He was also the Eastern Intercollegiate boxing champion. He and MarDeane were married June 5 at the Cadet Chapel the day after graduation. Cadets drew straws to see who would be married at what hours at the Chapel as there were so many waiting to be married. He and MarDeane were later sealed for eternity in the Idaho Falls Temple.
Amos chose the Field Artillery branch and, while at branch school, received word that he had received a Rhodes Scholarship. A gifted athlete at Oxford, he had the distinction of pacing Roger Bannister, the first to break the four-minute mile. While at Oxford, Amos was able to receive his Eagle Scout award in London in Lord Baden-Powel’s office. He had completed the scouting requirements in high school but had not received the award.
After Oxford, he asked to be sent to the Korean War. While serving in Korea, Herman Beukema, head of USMA’s Department of Social Sciences requested his assignment to West Point, where he spent much of his career influencing generations of cadets. At age 32, Amos was the youngest statutory professor in the modern history of the Military Academy. In a career spanning more than 60 years, he was also winner of Columbia University’s annual recognition for outstanding doctoral dissertation. He was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, and the Military Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award.
Amos held honorary degrees from Utah State University and Southern Utah University. He received the President’s Medallion from Idaho State University, the Days of ’47 Pioneer of Progress Award for Education, Health and Humanitarian Assistance, and was an author and lecturer on national security affairs, a leader in the United States Departments of State and Defense, and president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was president of the Pacific Forum, a member of the board of directors of a Fortune 500 company, and a trusted advisor to several U.S. presidents and cabinet officers.
His many successes were made possible in large measure by the loving support of his wife of 64 years, who preceded him in death in 2010. Together they raised six children: Peggy, Diana, Keith, David, Linda and Kent. Amos and MarDeane were blessed with 24 grandchildren and dozens of great-grandchildren. Family reunions in Deer Valley, UT; Jackson Hole, WY; and West Point, as well as trips to Hawaii, helped build powerful bonds among their posterity.
After retiring from professional pursuits, Amos and MarDeane served full-time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first in Hong Kong and later at BYU-Hawaii. This followed Amos’ service as a bishop, high councilor, and gospel doctrine and priesthood teacher. When MarDeane’s health failed, Amos became her primary caregiver for several years. While providing that example of tenderness, he continued to contribute to education and public policy as a senior advisor to the Wheatley Institution at Brigham Young University, serving in that role until he was 91 years old. Throughout his life he was a role model and a mentor to countless students, friends, and colleagues, as well as to his family. He greeted each day with enthusiasm and taught his children and grandchildren the motto, “This is another day in which to excel!”
— Peggy Hughes and siblings