GORDON WILLIAMSON

Oliver Gordon Williamson, 90, died at his Holly Hill home of cancer on Saturday, January 8, 2011. Gordon was born on April 10, 1920, near Baltimore, MD, son of Oliver S. and Ethel Starkey Williamson. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 56 N. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach. The city of Holly Hill will plant a live oak tree at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 23 at Hallman Park, 409 10th Street, Holly Hill. At that ceremony, the Volusia-Flagler Sierra Club will present a plaque honoring Gordon's many contributions to preserving the environment. Gordon willed his body to science. After his usable organs were removed, his remains were cremated and the ashes scattered at sea. After attending the University of Florida and Stetson University, Gordon joined the U.S. Navy, and served in the Pacific during World War II as a lieutenant j.g. During his broadcasting career (which began in radio at age 16) Gordon originated the slogan "The Window on the World" for WTTG television, the first TV channel south of the Mason-Dixon Line. From 1947 to 1953, Gordon produced and hosted "Hoppity Skippity"-- the first Washington children's show -- President Truman's favorite program, according to his daughter, Margaret. In 1948, Gordon was host announcer of the first TV broadcast from Capitol Hill when General Eisenhower testified before the House Armed Service Committee. Gordon was producer/ writer/audio host of the first TV coverage of the 1952 Winter Olympics. After nine years at WTTG, Gordon went into TV management in Charleston, SC, and at several stations in Florida, including Orlando, Tampa and Miami. When Gordon retired, he moved to Holly Hill and married Natalie Dix, a longtime friend who worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Gordon was co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Floridians for a Sustainable Population, and he worked tirelessly for passage of Amendment 4 (Florida Hometown Democracy) which proposed more local control over land development decisions. Other organizations that Gordon strongly supported include the Volusia-Flagler Environmental Action Committee, Save the Loop, the Halifax Humane Society; Journey's End in DeLand, the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, UNA-USA; the ACLU and the League of Women Voters. In 1998, The Florida Association of Broadcasters named him Florida's Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year.