ROBERT O. GORDON M.D.

GORDON ROBERT O. GORDON, M.D. Robert O. Gordon, MD, age 71, a Washington DC resident for more than 35 years, died of cancer on February 27, 2014, at his home in Georgetown. Dr. Gordon was a prominent orthopedic surgeon and a full clinical professor at Georgetown University Medical Center. Dr. Gordon's early enthusiasm for sports led him to a career in orthopedic surgery. He was a team physician for the Stanford University football team. He also treated many professional Washington sports figures and prominent heads-of-state. He was also well-known for his pro bono work in treating patients who lacked health insurance. He was a graduate of Harvard University (magna cum laude, 1965) and Yale Medical School (1965-1969) and he served his internship in surgery at Stanford University Medical Center(1969-1970). He also served as Lieutenant Commander of the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health (1970-1972). His residency was at Stanford University's Department of Orthopedic Surgery from 1972-1975. He was awarded the Georgetown University Medal of Honor for his clinical expertise and excellence in teaching and was part of one of the first medical delegations invited to post-cultural revolutionary China in the early 80s. Dr. Gordon served on the Board of Trustees at Georgetown Day School for many years, and led the capital campaign in the 1980s for the new high-school campus. He remained an active and important fundraiser for Georgetown Day School up until his recent illness. Dr. Gordon was very active in the Leadership Caucus of the Renwick Alliance of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He was also a member of the Harvard Club. Dr. Gordon graduated from Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa in 1961. He was a charter inductee in the Bettendorf, Iowa High School Hall of Fame where he established a science scholarship in honor of his former teacher and mentor, Donald Schaefer. The Bettendorf community honored him with the key to the city for his outstanding lifetime achievements. Survivors include his beloved wife of 47 years, Toni Gordon; daughter, Kimberly Gordon Schoonover and her husband Richard Schoonover of Potomac, MD; daughter Hayley Gordon Pivato and her husband Luca Pivato of Washington, DC; and three grandchildren, Lily Schoonover and Matteo and Leonardo Pivato. He will be remembered for his love of the arts, his wonderful sense of humor and his deep devotion to his family and friends. Services were held on March 2. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that contributions be made to the CFGRB (The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend - Bob Gordon Memorial Fund). This benefits the Donald Schaefer scholarship in science at Bettendorf High School (852 Middle Road, Suite 100, Bettendorf, IA, 52722).