JackGordon.org
John F. "Jack" Gordon, longtime Seattle publicist, promoter, journalist, and association executive passed away peacefully on November 30, 2010.
He was born in Portland, Oregon, on June 30, 1921, the son of James S. and Mary Ann (Mabel) Ratchford Gordon. The senior Gordon was a lumber broker in Georgia, Tacoma, and Seattle. Other members of the Gordon family included a brother, James, and a sister, Jeanette, who died as a baby. Jack lived his early years in Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, and San Francisco and attended St. Boniface School in the Bay City, St. James Cathedral Grade School and O'Dea High School in Seattle.
Mr.Seattle
For nearly 50 years -- from the late 40s through the early 90s through seven of Seattle's mayors from Devin to Rice; seven of Washington's Governors from Wallgren to Gardner; and eight U.S. presidents from Truman to Reagan -- if it involved a dignitary, needed a script, and took place in Washington State, you could almost guarantee that Jack "Mr. Seattle" Gordon was behind it.
Whether it was a visit by a president, a foreign head of state, an astronaut, or a Hollywood star, a special event or ceremony, Jack was involved, usually as chairman.
Jack's Early life
Jack began his life in publicity while at O'Dea High School as a junior sports writer for the Seattle Star and later worked for both the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Seattle Times.
Enlisting in the Navy shortly after Pearl Harbor, Jack was sent to the Naval Air Station at Pasco, Wash., for airplane pilot training. An unfortunate accident cut his flying career short and he was transferred to the Public Relations office where he soon became Editor-in-Chief of the NAS Pasco Sky-Writer, a weekly newspaper. Later in the war he was transferred to Swan Island (near Portland, Oregon) where he was editor of the Swan Island Islander newspaper. Among events he covered as editor and photographer while on Swan Island was the return of film star Tyrone Power, who had served as a Marine in the Pacific.
After the war, he enrolled at Seattle College and became city news editor at the Catholic Northwest Progress, where he met Roberta May Walsh, whom he married on May 1, 1948.
Seattle University Sports
In 1946, Jack was hired as director of public relations for Seattle College (now University). Later he moved to the Athletic Department where he served as manager of the athletic news service and assistant to Athletic Director Bill Fenton and Francis Logan, S.J.
Jack created a nationwide campaign that helped win All-American honors for Johnny and Eddie O'Brien, the New Jersey recruits to the Chieftain team. In 1952, the Chieftains, led by the 5'9" O'Brien brothers, beat the Harlem Globetrotters in Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Jack helped SU basketball coach Al Brightman, athletic backer Ralph Malone, and others recruit All-American Elgin Baylor. The 1958 Chieftains played in the NCAA Tournament, losing in the final game to Kentucky. Even though Jack officially stopped working for the Seattle University Athletic Department in 1957, he continued announcing home basketball games for Chiefs through the 1960's.
Service as editor of the state newspapers for the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, led to a job as national press officer for the VFW in Washington, D.C. He was commander of Seattle Post No. 1 of the American Legion during the 70s. Having been a sailor during the war, Gordon joined the National Guard in the 1970s, retiring as a Major during the 1980s.
Organized Labor
One of Jack and his business partner Guy Williams' proposals was to Dave Beck, president of the Teamsters. He later worked as a consultant for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in Washington, D.C.
When Children's Orthopedic Hospital moved from Queen Anne to the Laurelhurst area of Seattle in 1953 Jack prevailed on his background with Beck (a native Seattleite) and arranged for the entire hospital to be moved with labor and trucking completely donated by the Teamsters.
Greater Seattle
Returning to Seattle in 1950, Jack joined the staff of the fledgling civic organization that would soon be known as Greater Seattle, Inc., as part-time public affairs director. The summer Seafair festival that included parades, events, unlimited hydro races on Lake Washington, the Aqua Theatre with the Aqua Follies, musicals, performances and visits by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Raymond Burr, and others all got their start under the watchful, patient eye of Jack Gordon.
Seattle's Welcome Lane
The most grueling of the civic activities which Gordon found himself involved in during the early 50s were the welcomes for soldiers returning from the war in Korea. Over 500,000 men came home through the Army's Seattle Port of Embarkation a/k/a "Welcome Lane" during a three-year period. Each welcome included bands, movie stars, politicians, military leaders, and Barclay's "Can Can Girls" as well as the ever-present serpentine and parades along the piers and through downtown Seattle.
In addition to welcoming home the soldiers, Gordon' s Welcome Lane greeted VIPs and dignitaries from General Douglas MacArthur and the Secretary of the Army, to all 50 of the nation's governors here for a National Governors Conference with President Eisenhower. Jack received the Sixth Army Award and a Commendation from "Ike" for his devoted service welcoming home the troops.
Jack's respect for those who serve our country in the military led him to organize a return for the the first group of returning veterans from the Viet Nam War. Unfortunately he was only able to arrange one return celebration.
1950s remained busy
Jack was named one of Time Magazine's "Newsmakers of Tomorrow" in 1953.
During the rest of the 1950s, in addition to working for Greater Seattle, Jack helped bring Seattle into the international light by coordinating and emceeing visits by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko of Japan, as well as taking part in planning the international Colombo Conference, attended by President Eisenhower, Secretary of State Dulles, and representatives from 18 Asian nations.
During the 50's and 60's Gordon produced "roast" shows for the Sportswriters Association's perennial secretary Ed Donohoe. Invited guests included former VP Alvin Barkley and Senator Joseph McCarthy.
In 1960, he served as Vice Chairman of the "Major League Stadium for King County Committee," the predecessor of the bond plan that built the Kingdome. He was secretary of Gov. Rosellini's special Blue-ribbon Professional Sports Advisory Committee.
Governor Rosellini appointed him Special Advisor to the Committee on Special Events of the State Department of Commerce.
The World's Fairs
The Kennedy Administration appointed him as a consultant for the Seattle World's Fair in 1961. During this time he helped coordinate pre-Fair publicity for Century 21, including a visit by President Kennedy in November of 1961.
In 1962, at the invitation of Governor Rosellini, he created the Plaza of the States, the key ceremonial area during the Seattle World's Fair. In addition to programs for each of the states, the Plaza was the location for all of the official visits to the Fair including that of Vice-President Johnson, astronaut John Glenn, US Secretary of State Dean Rusk, California Governor Pat Brown, NY Governor Nelson Rockefeller.
Foreign dignitaries honored included the Mayor of Dublin, the Ambassadors of Sweden, France, Spain, Japan, Malaya, the Philippines, and India. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth, spent several days touring the fair.
New Americans received their citizenship at an annual ceremony at the Plaza of the States through the late 1990s.
Building on his experience in Seattle, he created for Governor Dan Evans a patriotic setting for special observances saluting the history of each state of the union at Expo '74, the Spokane World's Fair. The Fair was the first event building up to America's 1976 Bicentennial celebration. During the Fair, he met many governors including Jimmy Carter of Georgia. The year after the Fair, Carter asked Jack if he would serve as the Washington Chairman of Carter's presidential campaign
He was chairman of the State dinner for the National Governors Conference in 1974.
Employment Security Commissioner and more public service
Gov. Al Rosellini appointed Jack as Commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department late in 1963. He started a "Buy Now-Jobs Now" campaign and created the Job Corps--a program later "borrowed" by Johnson Administration.
His other government and civic career background included service as a board member and two-term president of the of the Civic Unity Committee, a human rights organization, followed by 10 years as a member of the Seattle City Human Rights Commission and chairman of the HRC-Seattle Police Dept. Commission. He was executive secretary to Seattle Police Chief H. J. Lawrence's Police Advisory Council. Jack was a member of the State Personnel Appeals Board during the Spellman administration. In addition, he was active in many other civic endeavors.
After Jack resigned as Commissioner of Employment Security in 1965, he joined the City of Seattle as Public Affairs Director at the Seattle Center.
The Restaurant Association
In 1966, Gordon worked with several Seattle-area restaurant operators, including Victor Rosellini, John Franco, Walter Clark, and Dave Cohn to form the Restaurant Association of the State of Washington from a merger of the Washington State Restaurant Association, the Class H Assn., and the lobbying arm of the State Hotel-Motel Association.
Over a 25-year time span with Jack as the RASW Executive, the association grew to over 2500 members with a multi-million dollar annual budget and 16 employees. The association sponsored biennial restaurant/hospitality show was the 3rd largest regional convention in the U. S. (Tradeshow Week magazine) and the Hospitality Industry Legislative Gala -- a political fundraising event held on the eve of the annual opening of the state legislature -- attracted 600 legislative and political guests with some 800 restaurant industry sponsors in attendance.
Seattle University Honors Jack
Jack's devotion to his city and his community was marked in 1969 when he received Seattle University's Distinguished Alumni Award.
Jack Welcomed Dignitaries
Learning from experts such as the Walter Van Camp, Guy Williams, Ralph Grossman, and Mel Anderson, Jack headed up arrangements for visits by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan as well as presidential candidates Adlai Stevenson, Walter Mondale, and Hubert Humphrey. Add to this list over 45 governors and many members of the U.S. Senate and Congress.
Gordon staged visits by Mercury astronaut John Glenn in 1962 and Gemini astronaut Richard Gordon in 1966. He later brought astronauts from Gemini X, Apollo XII, XVI, and XVII missions to Seattle. Dr. George Nelson, a mission specialist on the space shuttle program was a special guest at the Restaurant Association's 1986 Pacific Int'1 Hospitality Show.
Foreign dignitaries welcomed by Seattle's Official Greeter included Ethiopian Emperor Haille Selassie, Japanese Crown Prince Akihito, (now the Japanese Emperor), the President of Western Republic of Germany, People's Republic of China Premier Deng, the President of Iceland, Swedish King and Queen, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip of Great Britain.
In addition to everything else, he found time to serve serve as President of the Puget Sound Sportswriters and 'Casters Association (in 1957, he was awarded their "ETOIN SHRUDLU" Award), Commander of Post 1 of the American Legion and President of the Providence Medical Foundation. Jack was active in the Municipal League, Seattle-King County Convention Bureau, Association of Washington Business, Washington State Trade Fair, Better Business Bureau, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, President of St. Edward's Seminary Parents Club, Serra Club, City Club, Rainier Club, Columbia Tower, and Knights of Columbus.
In a 1961 column in the Seattle Times, John Reddin quoted one of Jack's many friends, "Jack is fundamentally a rather shy person who naively believes that some day this sodden town will come up to his expectations. He loves a parade and is intoxicated by the music and excitement."
Jack was survived by Roberta, his wife of over 62 years, his children John Robert Gordon and wife Beverly of Pomeroy, Mary Pederson of Chelan, Ann Thomas of Seattle, and Joseph Gordon of Wenatchee; 9 grandchildren (Amy, Angie, Merina, Gabriel, Eireann, Franklin, Julian, Racheal and Cassandra) and 6 great-grandchildren (Michael, Christopher, Thomas, Victoria, Caitlynn, and Kysen).
Thank you for your service to our city,
our state, and our country.
You are at JackGordon.org,
a salute to John F "Jack" Gordon, Mr. Seattle