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An ordinance providing the honorary street name designation of “Dr. Harold W. Jordan Way” for a portion of Morena Street.
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WHEREAS, Dr. Harold W. Jordan was an exemplary public servant, a leading physician and the first Black commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jordan decided to continue the legacy of his grandfather and great-grandfather, who were the first Black physicians in Coweta County, Georgia and Houston, Texas, respectively; and
WHEREAS, after completing his studies at Morehouse College, he entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville in 1958; and
WHEREAS, in 1959, Dr. Jordan met his future wife, Geraldine Crawford, as they were evacuated from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. after a bomb threat at Fisk University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Harold Jordan and Geraldine Crawford were joined in married on June 17, 1962, and had four children, Harold II, Vincent Andre, Karen Dorothy Nicole, and Kristi Yvette; and
WHEREAS, after completing his residency in internal medicine at Meharry Medical College, Dr. Jordan accepted a psychiatry residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, becoming the first Black physician and resident in Vanderbilt’s history; and
WHEREAS, upon completing his residency, he returned to Meharry Medical College, where he was named an assistant professor and director of the Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic. Dr. Jordan served in several capacities at Meharry Medical College before serving as assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health for four years under Governor Winfield Dunn; and
WHEREAS, in 1975, Dr. Harold Jordan became Tennessee's first Black Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, and a state building, the Harold W. Jordan Habilitation Center, was eventually named in his honor; and
WHEREAS, he later served as a longtime chair of the Department of Psychiatry and as acting dean of Meharry Medical College and maintained a clinical appointment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center until 2016; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jordan, who passed away on December 26, 2024, left behind an indelible legacy of integrity in public life, and compassion and loyalty in private life; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council memorialize Dr. Jordan through an honorary street renaming on Morena Street, adjacent to the Meharry Medical College Campus where he received his medical degree and served as department chair and acting dean; and
WHEREAS, Chapter 13.08 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws provides for the designation of honorary street names and signs without amending the Official Street and Alley Acceptance and Maintenance Map for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, and without requiring residents and businesses to change their address.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That Morena Street between Dr. D B Todd Jr Blvd and 21st Avenue North is hereby designated with the honorary street name of “Dr. Harold W. Jordan Way”.
Section 2. This honorary street designation will not require any resident or business located on Morena Street to change its street address.
Section 3. The Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure is hereby authorized and directed, upon the enactment and approval of this Ordinance, to install the appropriate signage designating this section of roadway as “Dr. Harold W. Jordan Way” in accordance with section 13.08.025 of the Metropolitan Code.
Section 4. This Ordinance shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.