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Everyone who has met Gordon will tell you that he is a very interesting and aware person, a good communicator and has an excellent sense of humor without being offensive. Gordon is a native Detroiter born November 4th 1931. He lived his first twenty four years in the shadow of the Belle Isle Bridge.

Gordon has an older sister and a younger brother. Gordon was named after his father and rather than calling him “Junior” they called him “Buddy”. He was not referred to as Gordon until his freshman year of high-school and his relatives still call him “Buddy” to this day.

He says he is surprised to have lived this long considering that he had a small body, slow feet, a big mouth and was named “Buddy Rose”. He attributes his longevity to the fact he can make his adversaries laugh.

Gordon’s father was French and German. He was very intelligent had a hair-trigger temper while his mother, Rose Rose, who was of Lebanese descent was the calming effect of the household.

Gordon’s (Buddy’s) childhood years were filled with many of life’s lesson learned through participation in a very ethnic environment and identified for him by his father and especially his mother.

His mother said that there are many things to consider in his life for
improvment, however, there are three basis to never forget:

• If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all
• There are two sides to every story, before you make a decision.
• For everything we do wrong, we must face the “Law of Retribution”  Unless we are lucky enough to die before it catches up with us, assuming you call death “lucky”.

Gordon’s mother insulated him from many of his relative’s enterprising
activities that were viewed by some as very grey areas.

As Gordon grew older into his late teens he began to realize that his mother although very quiet and unassuming… “so he thought”,  was considered the “wise woman of the tribe”. This encompassed a large number of relatives. She was the “go-to” person when friends or relatives could not resolve their problems or disputes.

Gordon says that she had a doctorate in “Kitchen Psychology”. He never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word. “She had great game.” When she died there were ninety-one cars in her funeral procession.

Gordon’s father was a very assertive business man, very well read, and had many intellectual colleagues. However, he did not exactly forgive indiscretions, which caused a degree of stress.  He died of a massive coronary at fifty-three years of age.

Gordon went to St Charles School from the first through twelfth grades.  It was an interesting mix of children from families ranging in the economic levels from those on social assistance to those of upper-middle class.

Gordon worked part-time at Brown Brothers gas station all through high-school, saved his money and used it to operate a loan business in high-school and do side betting in the Abott’s Pool Hall  once he became 16 years old.  Brown Brothers and money manipulation along with the need for negotiation became his entry into the business world.

After high-school Gordon went to University for one semester, became bored and left.  He then sailed on the great lakes on a freighter for the Nicholson Transit Company for two shipping seasons beginning as a deck-hand advancing to “wheels-man”.

After sailing he went into his father’s corrosion prevention and lining business.  His father died when Gordon was twenty-three at which time he took over the operation of the business.  It was 1954.  During this time Gordon was going to school nights and was interested in business law.

While doing contract work at the David Whitney building in downtown Detroit Gordon met the building manager named Louis Edwards.  Mr. Edwards happened to be the Great Lakes Region Commander of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force volunteer Auxilary, This organization has a cadet aerospace and aviation program. Along with doing search and rescue work for downed airplanes and lost people in sparsely inhabited regions.

Gordon began doing volunteer work on Colonel Edwards staff in the Cadet Training Section.  Because of the need to travel a six state area, Gordon began flying  an Air Force airplane and began his love for flying.  In four years Gordon was Deputy Chief of Staff.  He is still an active member of the CAP attached to the Michigan Wing Staff on special assignments.

Gordon began flying lessons in 1960 at Sentas Aero Training School at Detroit City Airport.  In four years he was made Chief Flight Instructor and General Manager.  Gordon is the highest flight time instructor in the state of Michigan, as certified by the FAA.  He holds an Airline Transport Pilot License, flight instructor license and ground instructor license.  Mr. Sentas died in an aviation accident in 1970 and Gordon moved on to various positions thereafter.  He is presently an associate and teaching for DCT Aviation ant Pontiac Airport.  During the interim he managed to acquire a bachelors degree in Aviation Science.  Gordon sold the Corrosion Prevention business to Great Lakes Power Company and is still actively working for them as a salesman.  Gordon performed Aviation Litigation work as an aviation expert for two law firms for over fifteen years and is still called upon for consulting.

Gordon has written many aviation articles over the years and recently has been approved for the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award which is given to pilots who have flown continuously for fifty years without  a violation.

Gordon created a company called “Identity Development” and because of contacts with business men clients in aviation has developed sales presentations in “attitude modification” at their requests.

Gordon married Rita in 1956 and has two sons, Christopher and Timothy.  Each has one of grand daughters.  Rita divorced Gordon after 24 years of marriage. Gordon says he didn’t blame her. He was never home.  Both sons are close to Gordon and are successful business men.

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