A Lifetime of Dedicated Service

by Pablo Ros  |  February 05, 2013

Stanley Gordon

Stanley Gordon passed away last month. A former executive director of AFSCME Council 26, in the 1970s, Gordon remained committed to the labor movement after he retired. One of the last hats he wore was that of president of the National Capital Area Union Retirees Club.

Current Council 26 Exec. Dir. Carl Goldman knew Gordon through the Association of Retired Americans and the Jewish Labor Committee. “He stayed around long after retirement, doing political work,” recalled Goldman. “He remained dedicated to working people until the end.”

Throughout a life of service, Gordon was a navigator in the Air Force, an air traffic controller and secretary-treasurer of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO). He worked in the Public Service Department of the AFL-CIO, was a labor liaison between the AFL-CIO and the American Red Cross, and was on the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Washington Council’s Community Services Agency (CSA) until he died. In 2010 he was recognized for his longtime leadership in unions with the Thomas M. Bradley Community Services Award.

Kathleen McKirchy, executive director of the CSA, described Gordon as someone who “cared about working people, he cared about unions, and he wanted unions to have a visible place in the community.”

She said Gordon’s extensive knowledge and caring nature were extraordinary. “He was a one-man disaster recovery expert. He knew how to organize unions to help in disasters and was very giving with his time and expertise,” she said.

“He had super energy,” added McKirchy. “He was a great guy. He will be missed.”