Need crop insurance? We know an experienced insurance agent. His phone number is easy to remember: 315-W. Okay, that was his business phone in 1961. It's changed since then. Now it's 419-358-6909.

Lots of other things have also changed in Bluffton since 1961. Bluffton's Main Street has had its share of business ownership changes and several digits have joined our telephone numbers. The retail district has had two facelifts, lost one stop light and several gas stations, gained a couple banks and was given 45817 as its postal zip code.

Through it all there remained one constant: Businessman Richard Jordan.

In January, Jordan celebrated his 50th anniversary as a Main Street insurance agent, who has operated in the same location, 105 S. Main St., those five decades.

To hear Jordan tell about it, based upon his memory, one wonders if he started yesterday.

If you wish to be technical, Jordan's Main Street career started in 1950 when he became a "printer's devil" working for Fred Gettles at The Bluffton News. But, that's another story for another time.

The 1951 Bluffton High School graduate was working for Dun and Bradstreet in Toledo when Helen Diller invited him to become an agent in the Leland Diller Insurance Agency on Main Street.

Helen's husband, Leland, died in September 1960, and Mrs. Diller, a licensed insurance agent herself, was looking for another agent to help her. The Diller agency traced its own roots back to 1879 through a succession of previous agencies and agency acquisitions.

Helen's tenure began as she worked for her father, William F. Iutzi, insurance agent, prior to the Leland Diller agency taking over the Iutzi agency.

But, back to Jordan, who was hired by Mrs. Diller, bought the agency in 1965, and eventually changed its name to Jordan-Diller Insurance. JDI, as it is commonly called, served the community as an independent insurance agency.

In 2002 Jordan sold his agency's property and casualty business to Webb Insurance Agency. He retained the crop insurance portion of the business. Today he is a contracted agent for crop insurance with Swiss Mutual Insurance Agency, still operating from his 105 S. Main St. address.

Jordan is full of insurance facts and stories. All you need to do is ask him. Here's just one tidbit: According to Jordan, a common insurance policy value on a South Main Street Bluffton residence in 1961 was around $8,000.

"There were no homeowner's policies in 1961," he said. "A homeowner needed three policies, one for fire coverage, one for theft and another for liability. Or, if it was a rather expensive residence, the owner needed six policies - two of each for fire, theft and liability."

When Jordan launched his Main Street career there were several other insurance agents in Bluffton. Those included Clarence D. Diller and Dwayne Amstutz, both independent agents. Rev. Paul Whitmer was the Nationwide agent. A.C. Burcky sold Northwestern Mutual Life and Goodville Mutual. Harold Klinger was the Prudential agent, and A.D. Gratz sold Beacon Mutual.

Two locally-owned insurance companies existed in 1961: Mennonite Mutual Aid Society, still operating, and Richland Township Farmers Mutual, no longer in existence.

Jordan has assisted his policyholders through several floods, fires, hailstorms, wind damage, automobile accidents and one major tornado. He's still at it. Keeping regular Main Street Bluffton business hours - closed Thursday afternoons, due to a nearly forgotten Main Street tradition - he's earned his spot in downtown Bluffton business lore.

While Jordan continues in the insurance business, a second-generation insurance legacy is in the making. His daughter, Bethany Theis, is an insurance agent for Mennonite Mutual Aid Society and shares his storefront as her office.

In addition to his insurance background, Jordan has maintained several civic interests. He served many years on the Bluffton-Richland Library board, held leadership positions at St. John's United Church of Christ, has been active in the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bluffton Business Men's Association before it, the Masonic Lodge, Swiss Community Historical Society and the Allen County Democrat party.

He and his wife, Mary Ann, live at 528 S. Main St.