John F. Gordon (June 30, 1921 – November 30, 2010) was a Seattle civic promoter, official greeter, publicist, journalist, and association executive. Gordon was born in Portland, Oregon, and died in Seattle, Washington.
Gordon headed up arrangements for visits to Washington State by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan as well as presidential candidates Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, Jimmy Carter, and Walter Mondale. He welcomed governors from all 50 states as coordinator of State Honor Day programs during Seattle's Century 21 (1962) and Spokane's Expo '74.
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'l 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 Philip of Great Britain.
As Seattle's "official greeter," Mayor Gordon S. Clinton honored him with Jack Gordon day in 1962, Mayor Floyd C. Miller and Seattle's City Council did the same in May, 1969, and Washington Governor Albert Rosellini proclaimed Jack Gordon Day throughout the state in May, 1962.
Jack’s Early life
Jack began his life in journalism and publicity while at O'Dea High School, where he was managing director for the O'Dea Chimes and also a junior sports writer for the Seattle Star. He 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, Washington, for pilot training. An 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. In May, 1945, he was transferred to the Bremerton (Washington) Receiving Station where he edited The Ship's Log weekly newspaper. Shortly after the end of the war, he was transferred to Swan Island (near Portland, Oregon) where he was created and editor 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 was serving 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 1947, Jack was hired as director of public relations for Seattle College (now University). Later he moved to the Athletic Department where he served as creator and 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, in a game played at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington Campus, the Chieftains, led by the 5'9" O'Brien brothers, became the only college team in America to beat the Harlem Globetrotters. Following expansion of the university's sports program, Gordon took over the newly created post of assistant director of athletics in 1953. 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. Gordon stopped working full-time for the SU Athletic Department in 1957, but continued announcing home basketball games for the Chiefs through the 1960s.
Gordon was named to the Seattle University Sports Hall of Fame on May 27, 2011
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. in 1949. He was commander of Seattle Post No. 1 of the American Legion during the 70s.