Bernard "Bernie" K. Gordon, professor emeritus of political scientist, aged 88, died peacefully on Monday, May 17, 2021 at the Exeter Hospital in Exeter, New Hampshire. Prof. Gordon served the University of New Hampshire from 1971 to 1997.
Prof. Gordon was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 12, 1932, to Gershon (Jack) Gordon and Clara Gordon (Krupnick). He graduated from Columbia High School in Brooklyn, and earned his B.A. and M.A. from New York University, and his Ph.D from the University of Chicago. He married Anita on September 11, 1954; Prof. Gordon continually said she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
In addition to his time at UNH, Prof. Gordon taught at Vanderbilt University, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), George Washington University and American University. Prof. Gordon was the author of five books and many articles dealing with trade and foreign policy in East Asia. He served as a consultant to the National Security Council and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and testified as an expert witness before the United States House and Senate.
Prof. Gordon held two Fulbright Fellowships, and also fellowships from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Singapore in 1964-65. In Japan, he was research professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies in 1977-78, visiting professor at Kobe University in 1990-91 and later at the International University of Japan. He served on the board of directors of the National Association of Scholars and for some years was a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Prof. Gordon mentored scores of students.
Prof. Gordon traveled extensively, especially in Asia, and together with Anita collected a world of art and sculpture. He was a lifelong photographer, starting with his Kodak Brownie as a child, and kept a functioning darkroom in most of the places he lived. He leaves an enormous collection of spectacular color and black-and-white photos, many printed in his darkroom, of his family, people they met and the places they visited. Prof. Gordon was also a lifelong bicyclist, getting his newest three-wheeled cycle just a year ago.
Prof. Gordon is survived by his wife, Anita, and their four children: Pamela (Guy) Pultz of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine; Joshua (Lisa Shapiro) Gordon of Canterbury, New Hampshire; Eve Gordon (Mark) Anderson of Seattle, Washington; and Daniel (Amy Trafton) Gordon of Durham, New Hampshire. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Phoebe, Laurel, Sophie, Evan, Nina and Adlai, and by his sister, Barbara Tzorfas, and two brothers, Richard (Barbara) Gordon and David (Susan) Gordon, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made in Prof. Gordon's name to the Bernard K. Gordon Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
