by Melanie Jongsma, Director of CommunicationsEmma Jordan is 95, but she looks younger. I visited her a few weeks ago at the Providence campus in Palos Heights, Illinois, where she happily told me about herself.
She had worked as an office manager for 34 years, and then her company moved, and she wanted a job closer to home. So she quit her office manager job on a Friday and was driving home past the new Tootsie Roll company in Chicago. They were advertising for workers, so she stopped in and applied for the Public Relations position — and was hired! She started with Tootsie Roll that Monday (she was 58 at the time).
Emma loved Tootsie Roll and worked there for 30 years. As the PR person she worked with Ernie Banks and Stan Musiel, who were involved in various promotions. She also remembers a time when the company did an air drop of Tootsie Rolls for American soldiers in Korea. "It was actually a mistake," she says. "The soldiers had all kinds of code words for ammunition, and 'Tootsie Rolls' was one of them. Someone in that company placed an order for Tootsie Rolls, meaning ammo, and we shipped them actual Tootsie Rolls! But they were glad because they didn't have any food, so now they finally had something to eat."
"They say you get tired of company candy, but I never did," says Emma. She still loves Tootsie Rolls. When she was in the hospital soon after her retirement, the company sent Tootsie Rolls to all the nurses. And when she moved to Providence two years ago, the company sent more Tootsie Rolls. "I ate just as many as anyone else!" she laughs.
She came to Providence on the recommendation of her doctor. "If I had to go to a nursing home," he told her, "I would go to Providence of Palos Heights. They have the best nursing staff of anywhere in Chicago." So she took him at his word and moved in without even considering any other places.
I'm glad she did! It was a lot of fun to meet Emma — not only a very nice lady, but also a fellow Tootsie Roll fan!
