Jan Jorden

Class of 1964: From “M*A*S*H*” to therapy

From a recurring role on the television series “M*A*S*H*” to appearances on numerous television series and movies, to nurturing the empowerment of women and children who have endured domestic violence, Jan Jorden, Class of 1964, parlayed interests grounded at Ripon College into a varied and fulfilling career.

She graduated in a class of 3,000 from a suburban Chicago high school in 1960. Wanting to experience a more intimate learning environment, she chose Ripon College. “Ripon had a reputation as being a very good small liberal arts school,” she said, and while it was fairly close to her home it was far enough to give her some distance and independence.

She joined Alpha Phi sorority, lived in Duffy House, and hosted a show on WRPN Radio. “It was about the opportunities I could have at Ripon,” she said.

Although she attended Ripon for just two years, she says it had a profound impact. “Ripon was the genesis of things I did later. I took a different path in my life, which started at Ripon.”

In the greater Ripon community, she was chosen as Miss Ripon 1961, giving an original oration as her talent presentation. She was a finalist at the Miss Wisconsin competition. “Winning that contest was the basis for what I continue to do,” she said. “It was the beginning of my career as an actor.”

While the experience set her on her life’s path and provided funding to further her education, she was conflicted. “I don’t like competing against women — I like working with women,” she said.

She transferred to the University of Illinois, majored in communication with a focus on radio and television production, studied acting, and graduated in 1964.

There were serious obstacles for women in communications at that time, she says. There were only four female newscasters in major markets. She chose to pursue her longtime interest in standup comedy, but she says people told her, “Don ‘t be ridiculous, you want to be a model instead.”

But she persevered and headed to New York to do standup comedy. She then relocated to Los Angeles, did commercial work for many years, and naturally transitioned into acting. She played small guest roles on numerous television series such as “MacGyver,” “Dynasty,” “Knotts Landing,” “Dallas” and “Days of Our Lives”; the television movies “Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas” (1977), “A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978), and “Never Say Never” (1979); and the feature films “The Last Married Couple in America” (1980) with George Segal and Natalie Wood and “The Devil and Max Devlin” (1981) with Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby.

At the age of 36, she married writer, director and producer Bert Metcalfe, a union that lasted 43 years until his death in 2022. He was with “M*A*S*H*” from its beginning in 1972, eventually becoming executive producer.

Jorden joined the cast as Nurse Baker in season seven. In the early seasons, Nurse Baker was the generic name for minor nurse characters played by various actresses. But after Jorden’s first appearance, she was the only actress to play the role, appearing in nine episodes.

“It was a great ensemble cast with a lot of good relationships,” she says. “They were very close and very in sync.”

She, however, was stressed as the executive producer’s wife. “That was uncomfortable for me. All I asked was to be treated like the other people,” she says.

A particular positive influence was series star Alan Alda. “Alan is a kind, genuine person. He never acted like a star,” Jorden said. She said he was a strong advocate for women’s issues, supporting fund-raising efforts against domestic violence and writing letters to heads of studios about his concerns.

When Jorden appeared in “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen,” the three-hour series finale of “M*A*S*H*” in 1983, her character was featured along with other nurses in the series about what lay ahead for them.

Her character, Nurse Baker, said that after experiencing the devastation of war and death, she wanted to become an obstetrician and help bring people into the world. “I related to that very well,” Jorden said. “I was moving into a different direction. It was time for me to leave acting.”

In her 40s, she returned to school to earn a master’s degree and became a licensed marriage and family therapist. “I wanted to look back on my life as something more than acting and commercials,” she said. “I didn’t want my acting life to be the height of what I contributed to the world.”

Her work as a therapist and advocating against domestic violence was fulfilling. “It’s an important area,” she said. “It’s amazing how many women are abused physically and emotionally – at that time it was one in four. I had a feeling of empowering women, and these were women who were the most powerless.”

Getting her graduate degree and pursuing her therapy work is her greatest pride. “It was not easy, and I worked very hard for that achievement,” she said. “So many things in my life after Ripon were molded and began at Ripon. I give a lot of credit to Ripon College.”