A Newsman Remembered

About the Book

A Newsman Remembered is not just the story of the life of Ralph Burdette Jordan (RBJ – or “Jock”) – who was a remarkable newspaperman/motion picture publicist/war correspondent. It is also a glimpse into an era of American social and political history that is now, unfortunately, largely forgotten if not discarded. The compelling personalities with whom he engaged– Aimee Semple McPherson, William Randolph Hearst, Louis B. Mayer, General Douglas MacArthur – are but fading memories which this book briefly restores. The first half of the 20th century began as an era of optimism that encompassed a belief that working hard – along with seizing the “main chance” – would produce social, professional and financial success. Ralph Jordan certainly exuded that optimism in everything that he encountered in his short life. Along with his contemporaries, moving into the great (largely ill-defined) middle class was his overarching goal. Within this goal, family life was an important ingredient for him - marriage in his day was still a partnership with clearly defined marital roles and expectations. Ralph and Mary’s marriage reflected that domestic configuration. Religious faith – if not always observed to the letter – also formed an important part of their family life. It could not be otherwise for them and those other largely third-generation descendants of Mormon pioneers (and their non-Mormon contemporaries) with whom they associated. These so-called Mormon second- and third-generation diasporans were willing – even eager – to leave behind them the remoteness of what was then described as “Zion,” to seek more promising futures elsewhere, retaining as best they could their unique heritage. Thus, Ralph Jordan’s story is indeed a “life and times” story worth telling!

About the Author

Dr. Jordan has received degrees from UCLA, Utah, Princeton and Oxford Universities. His career has combined both studying and practicing international administration, focusing on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the Cold War, and on the United Nations. His published works range from detailed discussions of administration in all its forms, to general studies of international relations, focusing on the Euro-Atlantic area. He has served as President of the International Studies Association and has been a member of many other scholarly associations, including the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the American Society for Public Administration, the International Studies Association, and the Committee on Atlantic Studies. He has served in the administration or on the faculties (or both) of a variety of universities, including The George Washington University, Columbia University, Fourah Bay College of the University of Sierra Leone, the U.S. Brigham Young University, Lancaster University (U.K.), the Air War College, and the U.S. Naval War College. Dr. Jordan’s interest in his Mormon legacy, encouraged by his wife Jane, prompted him to write A Diasporan Mormon’s Life: Essays of Remembrance in 2009. The present volume of RBJ’s life was inspired by this earlier research and encouraged by Ralph B. “Jock” Jordan III.