CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ENTRY HONORING ROBERT F. JORDAN

by HON. RANDY HULTGREN OF ILLINOIS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring the attention of the House of Representatives to a momentous occasion, the 85th birthday of Mr. Robert F. Jordan, to be celebrated on May 25, 2012, and to recognize the work he has done, first as a United States diplomat for more than 36 years, and in retirement, as an integral part of the US-Asia Institute. Mr. Robert F. Jordan was born and raised in Framingham, Massachusetts. He served overseas in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1947 and then attended the University of Massachusetts, graduating in 1951. From 1951 to 1956 he was a high school teacher of Algebra and Spanish. In 1956 he started a 36-year diplomatic career with the U.S. Information Agency, serving as the Public Affairs Officer and director of the United States Information Service in 11 countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America with responsibility for all U.S. government press and cultural exchange programs. Mr. Jordan learned four foreign languages—Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. He was president of the Fulbright Commission in several countries and was also president of the Government of Ireland’s scholarship board. While on a Washington tour he was assigned to USIA’s inspection corps and conducted policy and public diplomacy inspections of American embassies in some 40 countries worldwide. Mr. Jordan is the recipient of several meritorious and superior honor awards and performance pay awards from USIA, the Department of Defense and the Department of State. He also received the Order of Merit from the Government of Portugal. Following retirement in 1992 Mr. Jordan was called back by both USIA and the Department of State to conduct policy inspections of some 20 embassies worldwide. Then from 1995 to 2001 he worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency handling the Spanish-speaking media on disasters around the country. All total during his career, he has honorably represented the United States in over 100 countries around the world. In 1994–95 and then since 2007, Mr. Jordan has volunteered his time at the US-Asia Institute as a senior advisor and serving as Vice President of International and Government Affairs. In this role, he works closely with the Asian diplomatic community as well as with the U.S. Congress, and numerous delegations from Asia. He is committed to the mission and goals of the US-Asia Institute, promoting dialogue on international issues of common interest to the United States and Asian nations, whenever and however possible. In the course of his work, Mr. Jordan has led numerous delegations of Congressional staff to China and Singapore. He spent his 80th birthday on the Great Wall of China. In his retirement, Mr. Jordan continues to work tirelessly to promote mutual understanding and communication between the U.S. and the countries and people of Asia. As he celebrates this latest milestone, we say thank you to Mr. Jordan for his sage counsel, his inimitable vision, his quiet behind-the-scenes diplomacy, and his unwavering commitment to the U.S.-Asia relationship.