Brian Gordon (December 26, 1941 - March 21, 2024)

Brian's full obituary was published on April 11 by Lupton Chapel. 

Brian G. Gordon on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the age of 82. Brian was born in the early years of WWII, the eldest of four children of William and Eleanor. Raised in a family that valued education, he approached the world throughout his life with a sense of curiosity and deep awe.

A true polymath, he nurtured a lifelong interest in engineering, history, literature, and geography. He earned an undergraduate degree at Washington University and a master’s degree in history at UM-Columbia. Later, he served in the US Navy, first aboard the USS Observation Island, and then in Vietnam. Upon his return from Vietnam, he served as a professor at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley for over three decades, bringing history to life for thousands of students; he also helped lead the history department as department chair for many years.

With his beloved wife Cricket, he raised four children in a busy household. He nurtured his children’s own love of learning, encouraging them to ask questions and seek knowledge wherever they went.

Together, he and Cricket translated Brian's love of photography into a photography business they managed in addition to their own teaching careers. For over thirty years, he and Cricket photographed weddings, anniversaries, theatrical events, and family gatherings, capturing people’s joyful occasions on film. Brian also served his church as elder and his community through his involvement in the University City Historical Society.

From his youth, he was keen to discover new places and sites, whether canoeing on rivers in Minnesota, hitchhiking across the US and Europe, hiking, or camping; on one memorable trip, he worked aboard a coal ship in exchange for his passage to Europe. In his career in education, he used summers for further study and enrichment: studying military history in summer courses at West Point and the history of religion in America at Princeton. He went on a cultural exchange to Senegal to learn from fellow academics at a sister college. On three occasions, he and Cricket shepherded groups of students for a semester-long study abroad program in Canterbury, England.

In his retirement, he turned his hand to writing, reflecting upon a decades-long career in service. He also found joy in building furniture and making repairs in his home. “I can fix that,” he was fond of saying, “Let me get my tools!”

He took great pride in his children and grandchildren and loved to hear the little ones say, “Papa, tell us a story.”

He is survived by his wife Cricket; his siblings Alan, Kathleen, and Harley; his children, Katherine, Christopher, Jennifer, and Anna; and his grand-children.

A Memorial Service will be conducted at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 6800 Washington Avenue, University City on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church or National Kidney Foundation. 

We first learned of Brian's death from his brother Harley, who also  sent the following Facebook post from Brian's wife, Cricket.