Meet John Gordon: Think Tank founder at age 92

MOORE — Even at 92 John Gordon is a believer.

From the time he was a kid — back in Caddo County in 1920s — Gordon believed in the importance of education, democracy and government service.

He also believed in getting involved.

And, he believed politics.

Yes, politics.

Despite its negative perception, Gordon says politics can provide the framework to solve many of the state — and the country’s — social problems.

So John Gordon puts his beliefs to work.

Call him a democracy activist.

Call him a voting advocate.

Call him a public service servant.

Call him what you want, just call him.

Because like Uncle Sam, John Gordon wants you; he wants you to listen and learn, and get involved, and most of all, go vote.

And he so serious about it, that just last year — at the youthful age of 91 — he founded his own Think Tank — a forum for ideas and idealists, he says.

He calls it the More Democracy Think Tank.

“My goal is simple,” Gordon said. “I want to get people involved in government. I believe people should give back, but they have to learn how to do it. Social problems can be solved with political solutions.”

To start the process, Gordon’s Think Tank holds weekly meetings where different speakers wade deep into the waters of a current issues. A way, Gordon said, of making people aware of those issues and inspiring them to act.

“The more people are involved, the stronger the country. There are lots of social groups looking for help, for volunteers. But people want to understand before they get involved.”

For Gordon, getting involved has been a life-long adventure.

After graduating from Gracemont High School in 1936, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) — a work relief program for young men from unemployed families, established by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

While in the CCC, Gordon spent two years in Wyoming and Colorado, working in the nation’s national park system. From there, he spent time at several farm cooperatives.

“I stayed pretty busy then,” he said.

In 1942, he left farming and joined the U.S. Navy, serving as an electronic technician until the end of World War II.

Later in 1948, he moved to Ada, where he earned his degree at Central State College. From there, it was off to the Indian Services and a teaching gig at South Dakota’s Indian schools for three years.

In the late 1950s, he worked for the Federal Aviation Agency and in 1967, he returned to Oklahoma City to teach mathematics and science in public schools. He retired from teaching in June 1978.

Since then, he’s served as a community volunteer, as a member of the American Legion, a member of Kiwanis and the Moore Council of Aging.

“I like to stay involved,” he said. “I like to help.”

That desire reached its apex last summer.

In June 2006, Gordon and a handful of friends founded More Democracy. A way, he said, to show social issue organizations how to solve their problems using political tools.

“The thing that really gets me is that we’ve got a lot of social organizations that work on child care, parenting, the environment, protecting the wildlife and such,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of those, but they are nonpartisan. And their members don’t always participate in political activities to reach their goal.”

That, Gordon says, is the wrong approach.

“If you’re going to reach some environmental goal and you are nonpartisan, and you just keep talking about, say, pollution, and you don’t turn people out to the precincts to vote, well, you can’t get improvement by sitting back and not doing anything politically.”

People, he said, should be politically involved.

“Everything is political,” he said. “I laugh when I hear someone from church saying they don’t like politics, but then they are heavily involved in church politics. Politics isn’t ugly, its a way of doing business.”

Through his organization, Gordon is slowly exposing Cleveland County’s less active residents a way to be involved in their community and achieve their goals — through a political structure.

“I’m politically inclined because I see the goal we’re trying to reach,” he said. “But the only way we’re going to get there, is through political action.”

Groups fighting social problems, he said, should say to their members, “we’re going to have to do this through political channels, ‘cause we can’t get there any other way.”

And for Gordon the results are worth the effort.

“Politics isn’t a bad thing,” he said. “It’s a way to get stuff done.”

Especially if you’ve spent nine-plus decades believing.

The More Democracy Think Tank meets weekly at Earl’s Rib Palace, 920 SW 25th in Moore. Call 794-4541 for meeting times and topics.