Interview with Joel Gordon, June 21, 2017

Interview Summary

Joel Gordon was born in Crofton, Kentucky. Both his mother and father were Jewish, and he was raised with a Jewish foundation. When Gordon was a child, his father owned and operated a general store. Gordon briefly describes his childhood in Crofton, and specifically his time spent playing basketball. In fact, his success as an athlete enabled him to attend the University of Kentucky on a basketball scholarship. In addition to playing basketball at the University of Kentucky, Gordon was also a member of the Jewish fraternity Zeta Beta Tau, a marketing society, and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Gordon was also involved with the Student Union at the University of Kentucky, and he attended the synagogue while he was in college. He graduated from UK with a major in business management, and served in the United States Air Force in Europe during the Korean War. Upon returning to the States, Gordon began working in retail. He met his wife, Bernice, during this time and they later married. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon moved to Nashville, and Gordon recounts his experiences with the civil rights movement in Nashville, Tennessee. Gordon also describes his children, and his daughter Sheri's involvement in the civil rights movement. Eventually, Gordon left the retail industry and pursued entrepreneurial interests in the elderly nursing care and the medical outpatient industries. He ends the interview by discussing his extended family as well as Bernice Gordon's extended family.

Interview Keyword

Korean War, 1950-1953 University of Kentucky--Basketball United States. Army Air Forces Basketball players--Kentucky Small business--Ownership Small business--Kentucky Jewish businesspeople Entrepreneurship

Interview LC Subject

Family histories. Genealogy Jewish families. Jewish children Jews--Identity. Judaism. Religion Worship (Judaism) Crofton (Ky.) African Americans--Segregation Civil rights movements--United States Integration Race relations Nashville (Tenn.) Jewish leadership

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.