Leroy Jordan, who moved to Springfield in 1965, was the first Black male classroom teacher in the Springfield public schools. (The first African-American teacher overall was Mae Hammons, who began classroom teaching at Iles School in 1955.)
Jordan later spent 20 years as an administrator at the former Sangamon State University and was the second black to be elected to the Springfield School Board, where he was involved with the 1970s desegregation lawsuit.
Jordan discussed his educational career and community activities in an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series.