Linda Jordan Remembered for Making History With University Police

Linda Gayle Jordan, a University of Arkansas graduate and the first African American woman hired as a police officer at the university, died at her home in Fort Smith on Sunday, May 27.

Jordan was born in Braden, Okla., and grew up in Fort Smith. She graduated from Fort Smith Northside High School in 1975 and received a political science degree from the U of A in 1980. She joined what was then the university Department of Public Safety as a patrol officer and was later the first African American woman promoted to the rank of investigator. She attended the Arkansas State Police Academy and was certified as an investigator.

Jordan later left the department and earned a graduate degree in banking from the University of Colorado. She returned to Fort Smith and worked for more than 26 years as a branch manager at the First National Bank.

The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 2, at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 4916 High Street in Fort Smith. Visitation will be held at the church from 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 1.