Oneida Nation photo
The family of late NHC Maintenance/Custodial employee Thomas E. Jourdan gather June 3 for the Buddy Bench Memorial unveiling on the Norbert Hill Center Head Start playground. Family members traveled from as far away as Arizona to attend the ceremony. Jourdan passed away from COVID-19 complications in early 2021.
Family, friends, and co-workers gathered June 3 for the Thomas E. Jourdan Buddy Bench Memorial unveiling at the Norbert Hill Center (NHC) Head Start. The Buddy Bench Memorial was dedicated to honor the life of Jourdan who worked in the NHC’s Maintenance/Custodial Department. Jourdan passed away from COVID-19 complications in the spring of 2021.
“Tom loved working with the kids,” Oneida Nation Councilwoman Jennifer Webster said. “This bench serves as a dedication remembrance of Tom and his love for our community and our children. Everybody probably knows somebody who has passed from COVID or COVID-related illnesses, so this also serves as a reminder that this disease is still very much with us.
“I think the struggles we’ve all experienced with COVID across the last two years makes our relationships with our families stronger,” Webster said. “With this and all the recent tragedies we’re experiencing across Turtle Island I think it’s important that we hold our kids a little bit tighter and a little bit longer. Tom’s family came up from Arizona for this dedication to our community, our kids, and our Head Start students. This was very nice.”
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact people the world over. The Oneida Nation has lost 12 lives to Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic more than two years ago, emphasizing the need to continue to follow implemented health and safety measures.
