Former Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Oklahoma, Fred Jordan will speak about the historic origins of his profession and its role in solving cases.

Fans of mystery novels and “NCIS” are no strangers to the role forensic pathologists play in solving unexplained deaths. But did you know that the origins of the profession began as early as 4000 BC? The answer to the question “Whodunnit?” often depends upon a careful analysis of how it happened. Throughout the ages, those mysteries have been solved by people who were the forefathers of today’s medical examiners.

Last year, Fred Jordan gave Senior College Food for Thought attendees a riveting presentation on the role of the medical examiner’s office in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. On Friday, January 11 at noon, he will return to Food for Thought with more information about the history of medical-legal investigations and how they help solve the questions surrounding unexplained sudden deaths.

Two interesting cases will be presented. The “Case of the Missing Housewife” asks the question: how do you create a corpus delicti if there is no body? And “Go West Young Man” examines the fate of a Maine boy who disappeared in the early 1900s after traveling to Oklahoma to seek fame and fortune.

Fred Jordan is Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maine. In 2015, he was ordained as a hospital, senior health center, and hospice chaplain. Retired as Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Oklahoma and as a clinical professor of pathology at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, he is currently the Visiting Professor of Pathology and Legal Medicine at St. Georges University in Grenada, West Indies.

Food for thought luncheons take place in Room 170 at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn campus, located at 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston. The program is free and open to all. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.

If you wish to have lunch, the cost is $8 and an advance reservation is required. To reserve, call 753-6510 before noon on Wednesday, January 9. Food may also be purchased at the campus Café.