Remembrances of
Bob Gordon
I received the call in the fall of 1988. It was a bit of a surprise because of who the caller was and the nature of his call.
Bob Gordon was on the phone, and he was inviting me to join him and two of his friends on a week-long orchid tour
(Phalaenopsis) of the orchid nurseries on the West Coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Those friends were
Carlos Fighetti and the late Arnie Linsman. I had met both while attending orchid shows in the Northeast and even stay-
ing with Arnie during presentations to the Manhattan OS and the Staten Island OS. Carlos had hosted me another time,
so I knew them as Phalaenopsis growers and fanciers. We all had so much in common regarding Phalaenopsis, that it was
easy for me to say “yes” to Bob’s question in an instant.
We coordinated our arrivals in San Francisco the following March close to each other’s. Bob greeted each of us as we ar-
rived in the baggage claim area. When we gathered our luggage to head to his minivan, we were greeted to treats provided
by Bob. As a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel, he had visited the PX prior to meeting us to obtain what looked to be five
gallons of shelled pistachios plus a bottle of Wild Turkey for great social snacking after our visits and dinners together!
I never envisioned what would happen next.
Immediately we renewed our friendships and
began the week-long trek. Bob’s talkative na-
ture and warm personality helped to bring us
all together for a wonderful and memorable
week. I still recall our visits to all of the nurs-
eries along the way. At the time, there were
numerous orchids nurseries each requiring
a stop of several hours to visit and see all of
their plants. While Phalies were our primary
interest, Catts, Miltonias and Paphs also made
our list. How funny it was during each of our
visits to see Carlos and I briefly give our hello
to the owner/manager then dash down sepa-
rate isles to see who would discover the best
prize of the day. Meanwhile, Bob would still
be talking to the owner/manager when Carlos
and I had completed our searches. Bob told us later that his intent was to capture material for a new book that he was
researching – one that featured the growers and breeders behind the development of Phalaenopsis. Sadly, that project
was never completed, and I am unsure of its fate today.
After the passing of his wife, Nancy, I lost contact with Bob as his direction in life changed. His move from Rialto to the
Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Bear Lake area seemed to cut most of his ties with the orchid world. I saw him again a
few years later at one of the AOS Trustees meetings on the West Coast. He still held his enthusiasm for Phalaenopsis, and
I enjoyed those brief encounters together.
We were able to recruit Bob to present a program on basic Phalaenopsis culture for our West Coast spring meeting
(Region 1, Southern California), in 2010 at Norman’s Orchids. I saw the old enthusiasm return as he presented his pro-
gram, and his charisma was evident. The audience was drawn in and captured by his charm. What a treat to see him in
his element!
The IPA owes a great deby gratitude to the visions of Bob Gordon. His four books on the genus plus his speaking en-
gagements coast to coast and worldwide helped to build a strong following of Phalie lovers around the world. Our trip
down the West Coast provided the ideas to begin the formation of an organization that would become the International
Phalaenopsis Alliance. His support, after our founding, helped to build the foundations of the IPA. Bob served as our
first Regional Director, helping to provide direction to the entire organization.
Thank you, Bob, for all that you envisioned and what you did for the IPA. I think you would be proud of our first 20
years as an organization. We’ll all certainly miss you!
Tom Harper
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Fourth Quarter, Vol. 21(2) 2011 - Phalaenopsis