The Philip and Sheila Jordan Professorship in Environmental Studies was established in 1994 with a $1.25 million gift from the late Andrew Thomson and his wife Peggy, long-time supporters and Kenyon parents, along with the Beatrice DeLany Charitable Trust. The gift honored Philip H. Jordan Jr. upon his retirement after twenty years as the College’s president and recognized the Jordans’ interest in environmental issues. Jordan remarked, “The professorship will ensure a permanent strengthening of the College’s resources for teaching and learning in this important area of Kenyon’s curriculum. Generations of students at the College will benefit from the Thomsons’ generous gift.” The Thomsons – whose son, David Thomson, is a 1976 graduate of Kenyon – were residents of Evanston, Illinois, and long-time supporters of the College. Before his death in 1997, Dr. Thomson practiced medicine.