Originally posted 12-16-19
$10 million will bring scholarships to Grays Harbor and 16 other regional colleges.
The Grays Harbor College Foundation has announced that a bequest from the Eva Gordon Estate is one of the largest donations to community and technical colleges in Washington State, and each college foundation included will receive approximately $550,000.
This includes the Grays Harbor College.
A total of 17 colleges were part of the gift.
The recipient college foundations will be able to help students pay for books, fees, supplies, technology needs, housing, transportation, food, childcare and unexpected financial emergencies that could otherwise stand in the way of their success.
Each college foundation will work with its board and school administrators to decide how funds are allocated to maximize opportunities for students.
Eva Gordon, the source of the donation, was said to be a hard-working woman who was ahead of her time. Gordon reportedly lived a long and happy life and had few regrets aside from not having a formal education herself.
Gordon, who passed away in June 2018 at the age of 101, grew up on an orchard in Eugene, OR, and graduated at the top of her high school class, spending her lifetime investing money to build a fortune that now gives back to others..
After graduating from high school, Eva Gordon went to work as a legal secretary and later for a Seattle investment firm. She married her husband, Ed Gordon, in 1964 and together they shared a common dedication to higher education.
Ed Gordon, who passed away in 2008, had graduated from college before becoming a Navy pilot and flying patrol bombers during World War II and the Korean War — an opportunity he credited to his college degree. After serving his country, Ed settled in Seattle where he met Eva. Ed worked as a stockbroker and together, they taught courses at the McNeil Corrections Center. Ed would deliver curriculum on business practices, while Eva led the group in warm-up exercises.
The college foundations receiving donations from the Eva Gordon estate include.
During their lives, Eva and John Gordon often made generous contributions to South Seattle College as well.