Honoring a tuberculosis trailblazer: Dr. Kathleen Jordan’s legacy in focus at Granite Falls exhibit
A group in Granite Falls is paying tribute to the work of Dr. Kathleen Jordan to increase tuberculosis testing and education across the state of Minnesota. The Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project exhibit will be open Thursday through Sept. 16.
Courtesy of Linda Heen
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So far in 2024 there have been 100 diagnosed cases of tuberculosis in Minnesota.
TB is a highly contagious disease that was at one time the leading cause of death across the country. You probably don’t hear about TB much anymore. In Minnesota, that’s thanks in no small part to Dr. Kathleen Jordan.
She worked to detect the illness in children early — before it became active and contagious. As one local historian tells it, Dr. Jordan gave out more than 1.5 million tuberculosis skin tests throughout her career. In September, an exhibit and series of events in Granite Falls will honor that work.
For more on the doctor’s story, Peggy Kvam of the Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project and Jill Heins, a national senior director with the American Lung Association, joined Minnesota Now.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: I am glad you're listening to Minnesota Now here on MPR News. I'm Cathy Wurzer. So far this year, there have been 100 diagnosed cases of tuberculosis in Minnesota. TB is a highly contagious disease that was, at one time, the leading cause of death in Minnesota and across the country. In the late 20th century, schoolchildren were tested for TB as a way to detect the illness early before it became potentially deadly. Perhaps you had such a test when you were a kid.
There are still countless adults in the Granite Falls area who remember a doctor, Kathleen Jordan, who gave them TB tests in school. It's estimated Dr. Jordan performed more than 1.5 million TB tests on school kids throughout Minnesota in her career.
And to honor her work, there's an exhibit and a series of events happening in Granite Falls. Joining us right now with more on the doctor's story is Peggy Kvam of the Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project and Jill Heins, a national senior director with the American Lung Association in Minnesota. Such a pleasure. Jill, thanks for being in studio.
JILL HEINS: Thank you.
CATHY WURZER: And Peggy, thanks for being with us from Granite Falls.
PEGGY KVAM: Thank you.
CATHY WURZER: I want to set the scene for folks about Dr. Jordan. She really had an amazing background, for goodness' sakes. Peggy, can you kind of flesh her out for us a little bit? How did she get to Granite Falls?
PEGGY KVAM: Well, she was born in England. And her parents were Methodist missionaries down in Algeria. And that's where Kathleen was raised. Her parents ran an orphanage and a school down there. When it came time to go to college, she ended up going to a Methodist college in Ohio, near Cleveland.
And it was at that time that she decided that maybe medicine is her field of choice, and she enrolls in med school. But during I believe it was her junior and senior year in med school, she comes down with TB herself.
CATHY WURZER: Oh.
PEGGY KVAM: And she gets to go to a place in upstate new York in Saranac, the Trudeau Institute. And it was there that she met this good-looking young doctor, Dr. Lewis Jordan. And that's where they started their relationship.
Well, fast forward through med school, through her internship, she ends up engaged, and she comes to Granite Falls on a Sunday evening in August. By Monday, at 6:30, she was married in the house of a local doctor. And then she worked with the Riverside Sanatorium, which was one of 14 in Minnesota, and it covered a four-county area.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
PEGGY KVAM: And so she started her medical career there.
CATHY WURZER: And we should say at the time, it was pretty unusual to have a female doctor.
PEGGY KVAM: There was only 4% of the doctors in the nation and in 1930 that were females. So, yeah, she was a rarity-- a pioneer, so to speak.
CATHY WURZER: Jill, and for folks not familiar with the sanatoriums that were all around the country-- Minnesota had several-- what were they used for?
JILL HEINS: They were specifically for individuals with active tuberculosis. And so tuberculosis, you can be infected with the bacteria, tuberculosis, and it can be latent in your body for weeks, months, or even years. And when your immune system is compromised, it becomes active. And so the sanatoriums were for individuals with active tuberculosis, so they didn't spread it to other people, as well as an opportunity for them to get at that time state of the art care and also recover.
CATHY WURZER: And TB, if my memory serves me correctly, just historically speaking, I mean, when there were outbreaks, it really scared people.
JILL HEINS: It did. At that time, in the 1920s, around one out of every 500 deaths in Minnesota was from tuberculosis. So, one out of 500. It was the number one cause of death at that time. Now, certainly, tuberculosis still remains worldwide and in Minnesota, but it's not the killer that it once was. We now have medicines to help treat that.
CATHY WURZER: So, Peggy, I mentioned in the introduction that a lot of school kids got the mantle tests. I'm trying to remember how they did it back in the day. But all of us had that, right? Did you get a test from Dr. Jordan as a kid?
PEGGY KVAM: Actually, I am one of Kathy's kids,
CATHY WURZER: Oh.
PEGGY KVAM: --as we refer to the group. You held out your left hand, your left wrist, and then she distracted you by suggesting that you're on a safari and you have a choice of-- and she gave you two different animals. And to be honest, I thought for sure there was a rhinoceros-- it's one of our school building because that's what I was concentrating so hard on seeing. She gives me this little shot. And if kids did react to it, she would kind of slap the wrist and say, oh, I got the mosquito.
She had a calming voice, strong French accent. But yes, she did travel to the four-county areas. And we actually have all of her records keeping, how many students in each grade level at each building, and how many were positive, and what the follow-up was. So it's really quite interesting.
CATHY WURZER: Jill, this is got to have been-- just given the amount of tests that she gave in her career, she must have been a pioneer in the public health field in Minnesota.
JILL HEINS: She was. One of the things that I found interesting looking through the American Lung Association's historical records-- was just amazing-- is how one day she would be in Little Falls, say, on a Tuesday, and the next day, she was in Waseca. So let's think about that. This is the 1930s.
Regardless of the weather and in the winter, cars don't go that fast. And she traveled from Little Falls, and then the evenings, she somehow got herself to Waseca for the next day, ready to work with school kids, test them, and provide education to the local health care professionals. She was a force of nature that we really need to recognize. One of the ways that Dr. Kathleen Jordan was able to do so much outreach and education across the state was her work was funded by Christmas seals.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, I remember those.
JILL HEINS: And Christmas seals exist today, but there are fewer and fewer people alive that have that memory and history. And so the Christmas seals are a funding stream and sold by the American Lung Association. In that time, it was all about education and prevention of tuberculosis, and now it's across all lung diseases and lung health.
CATHY WURZER: And of course, Christmas seals, for people who don't remember, I recall they were stamps with various designs on them. And you'd stick them on your Christmas cards.
JILL HEINS: You bet. That was really what funded all of her activities for additional testing and education in the community. So we're really thrilled to be able to have that connection with her. Interestingly, in the very beginning, Peggy was talking about how Dr. Kathleen Jordan, when she had TB, she went to a sanatorium in northern New York State to be treated and recover and was treated by a Dr. Trudeau. Dr. Trudeau was the founder of the American Lung Association.
CATHY WURZER: [GASPS] Interesting. I'm wondering, because of her efforts in education here, Jill-- and as we established, she traveled all around the state of Minnesota-- was there a lot of mis-- and disinformation about TB at the time?
JILL HEINS: I'm not completely sure. I think at that time, it wasn't called tuberculosis. It was called consumption. We didn't fully understand the disease at that time. And so a lot of the education was around make sure we have good nutrition, and make sure that you had plenty of fresh air.
There was an understanding that tuberculosis was spread through the air-- and that is correct-- from one person through the droplets, if they cough and sneeze and contracted by another one. But there was a thought that fresh air would really be the primary cure at that point.
CATHY WURZER: I'm wondering here, Peggy, when it comes to her stature in the Granite Falls community, I mean, she must have been revered.
PEGGY KVAM: Yes, she was. I think for the first 10 or so years, she was so busy traveling and giving her tests. And she not only educated the teachers, the schools, she also went around to any organization she could get her foothold in-- Kiwanis meetings, Jaycees, the Lutheran church people, or the Methodist. It didn't matter. She spoke everywhere.
She was a member of the Granite Falls UCC Church. She became active in teaching the Sunday school. She liked the older kids. That's when people really got to meet her. And then when she retired, she was the gentle little lady that walked around town, giving out her pink roses to her friends that might need a cheering up--
CATHY WURZER: Aw.
PEGGY KVAM: --a little bit. Yeah, she was loved.
CATHY WURZER: So, Peggy, why is it important to remember Dr. Kathleen Jordan? You've got events and an exhibit happening in Granite Falls. Why now?
PEGGY KVAM: We have people that still remember her. She lived such an extraordinary life. I think it's important that we honor that life of dedication. It was through her efforts locating and identifying and isolating and educating people that we were able to have a profound and lasting impact on the spread of tuberculosis, especially in the southwestern part of the state. And it helped to inform many public health discussions.
CATHY WURZER: And we should say, if my history is right, that Renville County, in your part of Renville County, had one of the highest rates of tuberculosis among school-aged children at one time. So--
PEGGY KVAM: Yes, it did.
CATHY WURZER: --she really did do amazing work. Really interesting conversation. Interesting effort in Granite Falls around this fascinating woman, and I'm glad that her history is not lost. Peggy Kvam, thank you. And Jill Heins, thanks for coming into studio.
JILL HEINS: Thank you for having us.
CATHY WURZER: Thank you. Jill Heins is the national senior director with the American Lung Association. She's based in the Twin Cities. Peggy Kvam is an organizer of the Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project, based in Granite Falls. Now, you can see the exhibit this coming Thursday through next Tuesday, the 16th, in Granite Falls. I'll have a link to more information on our web site, mprnews.org.
There are still countless adults in the Granite Falls area who remember a doctor, Kathleen Jordan, who gave them TB tests in school. It's estimated Dr. Jordan performed more than 1.5 million TB tests on school kids throughout Minnesota in her career.
And to honor her work, there's an exhibit and a series of events happening in Granite Falls. Joining us right now with more on the doctor's story is Peggy Kvam of the Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project and Jill Heins, a national senior director with the American Lung Association in Minnesota. Such a pleasure. Jill, thanks for being in studio.
JILL HEINS: Thank you.
CATHY WURZER: And Peggy, thanks for being with us from Granite Falls.
PEGGY KVAM: Thank you.
CATHY WURZER: I want to set the scene for folks about Dr. Jordan. She really had an amazing background, for goodness' sakes. Peggy, can you kind of flesh her out for us a little bit? How did she get to Granite Falls?
PEGGY KVAM: Well, she was born in England. And her parents were Methodist missionaries down in Algeria. And that's where Kathleen was raised. Her parents ran an orphanage and a school down there. When it came time to go to college, she ended up going to a Methodist college in Ohio, near Cleveland.
And it was at that time that she decided that maybe medicine is her field of choice, and she enrolls in med school. But during I believe it was her junior and senior year in med school, she comes down with TB herself.
CATHY WURZER: Oh.
PEGGY KVAM: And she gets to go to a place in upstate new York in Saranac, the Trudeau Institute. And it was there that she met this good-looking young doctor, Dr. Lewis Jordan. And that's where they started their relationship.
Well, fast forward through med school, through her internship, she ends up engaged, and she comes to Granite Falls on a Sunday evening in August. By Monday, at 6:30, she was married in the house of a local doctor. And then she worked with the Riverside Sanatorium, which was one of 14 in Minnesota, and it covered a four-county area.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
PEGGY KVAM: And so she started her medical career there.
CATHY WURZER: And we should say at the time, it was pretty unusual to have a female doctor.
PEGGY KVAM: There was only 4% of the doctors in the nation and in 1930 that were females. So, yeah, she was a rarity-- a pioneer, so to speak.
CATHY WURZER: Jill, and for folks not familiar with the sanatoriums that were all around the country-- Minnesota had several-- what were they used for?
JILL HEINS: They were specifically for individuals with active tuberculosis. And so tuberculosis, you can be infected with the bacteria, tuberculosis, and it can be latent in your body for weeks, months, or even years. And when your immune system is compromised, it becomes active. And so the sanatoriums were for individuals with active tuberculosis, so they didn't spread it to other people, as well as an opportunity for them to get at that time state of the art care and also recover.
CATHY WURZER: And TB, if my memory serves me correctly, just historically speaking, I mean, when there were outbreaks, it really scared people.
JILL HEINS: It did. At that time, in the 1920s, around one out of every 500 deaths in Minnesota was from tuberculosis. So, one out of 500. It was the number one cause of death at that time. Now, certainly, tuberculosis still remains worldwide and in Minnesota, but it's not the killer that it once was. We now have medicines to help treat that.
CATHY WURZER: So, Peggy, I mentioned in the introduction that a lot of school kids got the mantle tests. I'm trying to remember how they did it back in the day. But all of us had that, right? Did you get a test from Dr. Jordan as a kid?
PEGGY KVAM: Actually, I am one of Kathy's kids,
CATHY WURZER: Oh.
PEGGY KVAM: --as we refer to the group. You held out your left hand, your left wrist, and then she distracted you by suggesting that you're on a safari and you have a choice of-- and she gave you two different animals. And to be honest, I thought for sure there was a rhinoceros-- it's one of our school building because that's what I was concentrating so hard on seeing. She gives me this little shot. And if kids did react to it, she would kind of slap the wrist and say, oh, I got the mosquito.
She had a calming voice, strong French accent. But yes, she did travel to the four-county areas. And we actually have all of her records keeping, how many students in each grade level at each building, and how many were positive, and what the follow-up was. So it's really quite interesting.
CATHY WURZER: Jill, this is got to have been-- just given the amount of tests that she gave in her career, she must have been a pioneer in the public health field in Minnesota.
JILL HEINS: She was. One of the things that I found interesting looking through the American Lung Association's historical records-- was just amazing-- is how one day she would be in Little Falls, say, on a Tuesday, and the next day, she was in Waseca. So let's think about that. This is the 1930s.
Regardless of the weather and in the winter, cars don't go that fast. And she traveled from Little Falls, and then the evenings, she somehow got herself to Waseca for the next day, ready to work with school kids, test them, and provide education to the local health care professionals. She was a force of nature that we really need to recognize. One of the ways that Dr. Kathleen Jordan was able to do so much outreach and education across the state was her work was funded by Christmas seals.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, I remember those.
JILL HEINS: And Christmas seals exist today, but there are fewer and fewer people alive that have that memory and history. And so the Christmas seals are a funding stream and sold by the American Lung Association. In that time, it was all about education and prevention of tuberculosis, and now it's across all lung diseases and lung health.
CATHY WURZER: And of course, Christmas seals, for people who don't remember, I recall they were stamps with various designs on them. And you'd stick them on your Christmas cards.
JILL HEINS: You bet. That was really what funded all of her activities for additional testing and education in the community. So we're really thrilled to be able to have that connection with her. Interestingly, in the very beginning, Peggy was talking about how Dr. Kathleen Jordan, when she had TB, she went to a sanatorium in northern New York State to be treated and recover and was treated by a Dr. Trudeau. Dr. Trudeau was the founder of the American Lung Association.
CATHY WURZER: [GASPS] Interesting. I'm wondering, because of her efforts in education here, Jill-- and as we established, she traveled all around the state of Minnesota-- was there a lot of mis-- and disinformation about TB at the time?
JILL HEINS: I'm not completely sure. I think at that time, it wasn't called tuberculosis. It was called consumption. We didn't fully understand the disease at that time. And so a lot of the education was around make sure we have good nutrition, and make sure that you had plenty of fresh air.
There was an understanding that tuberculosis was spread through the air-- and that is correct-- from one person through the droplets, if they cough and sneeze and contracted by another one. But there was a thought that fresh air would really be the primary cure at that point.
CATHY WURZER: I'm wondering here, Peggy, when it comes to her stature in the Granite Falls community, I mean, she must have been revered.
PEGGY KVAM: Yes, she was. I think for the first 10 or so years, she was so busy traveling and giving her tests. And she not only educated the teachers, the schools, she also went around to any organization she could get her foothold in-- Kiwanis meetings, Jaycees, the Lutheran church people, or the Methodist. It didn't matter. She spoke everywhere.
She was a member of the Granite Falls UCC Church. She became active in teaching the Sunday school. She liked the older kids. That's when people really got to meet her. And then when she retired, she was the gentle little lady that walked around town, giving out her pink roses to her friends that might need a cheering up--
CATHY WURZER: Aw.
PEGGY KVAM: --a little bit. Yeah, she was loved.
CATHY WURZER: So, Peggy, why is it important to remember Dr. Kathleen Jordan? You've got events and an exhibit happening in Granite Falls. Why now?
PEGGY KVAM: We have people that still remember her. She lived such an extraordinary life. I think it's important that we honor that life of dedication. It was through her efforts locating and identifying and isolating and educating people that we were able to have a profound and lasting impact on the spread of tuberculosis, especially in the southwestern part of the state. And it helped to inform many public health discussions.
CATHY WURZER: And we should say, if my history is right, that Renville County, in your part of Renville County, had one of the highest rates of tuberculosis among school-aged children at one time. So--
PEGGY KVAM: Yes, it did.
CATHY WURZER: --she really did do amazing work. Really interesting conversation. Interesting effort in Granite Falls around this fascinating woman, and I'm glad that her history is not lost. Peggy Kvam, thank you. And Jill Heins, thanks for coming into studio.
JILL HEINS: Thank you for having us.
CATHY WURZER: Thank you. Jill Heins is the national senior director with the American Lung Association. She's based in the Twin Cities. Peggy Kvam is an organizer of the Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project, based in Granite Falls. Now, you can see the exhibit this coming Thursday through next Tuesday, the 16th, in Granite Falls. I'll have a link to more information on our web site, mprnews.org.
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