Gordon took over as the director on Aug. 1, 1976, after he and his lovely wife, Charlotte, moved to Lufkin from Oklahoma where he was working at the Tulsa Zoo.
In a 2009 interview, Gordon attributed his career interest to a childhood trip to a zoo with his father: "We were at an elephant exhibit and while we were looking at the elephants, one of them took a snout full of water and gave us a shower. I jokingly told myself (working at a zoo) was what I had to do. All the rest of my school days have revolved around animals and wanting to work at a zoo."
You can listen to that 2009 interview with Diboll History Center Executive Director Jonathan K. Gerland HERE.
