Photo by Jessica D'Avanza

Don Gordon, Business Manager for UHS Dining has quite a bit of history here at UNH. A former student 38 years ago, Gordon was a Philosophy major and lived in Hunter Hall for three years.

"I was a student here, took some time off and came back, and just naturally applied for a job when I got my degree," said Gordon.

New Hampshire caught Gordon's attention as a young child when his family from Binghamton, New York vacationed at Lake Winnipesaukee. Now he lives in Madbury with his family.

"When I was a student here, Stoke was just barely finished and the two dining halls were Huddleston and Stillings, which was still very new."

Gordon's job inside Holloway Commons, deals with covering the dining office during a colleague's absence, equipment inventory, auditing, workplace safety, and increasing involvement with purchasing activities. One of his favorite aspects of the job is the interaction with students.

"It's nice to help them in the ID office," he says.

Before working for UHS, Gordon began his career at UNH working for the Controller's Office located in Thompson Hall. There was little to no interaction with students, something Gordon looks forward to. Dimond Library provided for some student interaction, where Gordon took his next position at UNH in 1989. The Registrar's Office was the next step for Gordon until he began working for the Dining office in 1992. Each job brought him just a little bit closer to student life.

"I really enjoy helping students and the major project of June Orientation and the fall start-up where it's always very busy," he says. "I've always found the students to be very lively and interesting."

One of Gordon's favorite places on campus is the library. "It's such a great resource," Gordon says. He can remember the time before the library was renovated and the brown and black striped carpet which, even for people who were used to it, would still get vertigo.

"I enjoy reading novels and non-fiction; currently I'm reading Moby Dick returning to it after I began reading it a long time ago."

Another one of Gordon's hobbies is white-water rafting with his family; recently they completed a rafting trip in Oregon.