Memories of Richard from his mother, Doris Gordon

(Compiled from a conversation with Doris and one of Rich’s daughters)

He had so much fun. I never knew anybody that had so much fun. As a child he was the best little boy that ever was. He was born wanting to do the right thing. I have never known a child like that, so anxious to do right. I knew he was destined for something special.

As a teenager he was good as well. Once he was out with his friends and he came home early. I asked him why and he said he didn’t like the way they were talking so he left. He was never influenced by his peers. He was very strong minded.

I suppose he was hyperactive. He slept so little when he was young, I always used to worry about him getting enough sleep. He was so active all the time. He was so interested in everything and how it worked.

He was a great dad. All his kids turned out so well.

He graduated Suma Cum Laude with honors from Duke. I don't think many people knew that. He was going to be a biomedical engineer. He had a fellowship lined up when he graduated. He worked in an externship and found out that the doctor’s gave the orders. So he decided to be a doctor. His wife was in nursing school at Duke and so he needed to go to Duke for medical school. The nursing school manager took the dean of medical school to lunch and they got Richard into medical school in September. At clinic he fell in love with the children, because they healed so quickly; so he wanted to be a pediatrician. He learned how to take tonsils out but they wouldn’t let him do it in practice because he didn’t learn at a teaching school. His wife soon fell and broke her wrist very badly. Rich was so fascinated with the surgery and other aspects of orthopedics so with 6 kids he left his practice and returned to do another residency. And so he became an orthopedic surgeon. (Pause) and then he became a sailor.