Dr. Gordon E. Ness
Dr. Gordon E. Ness was born in San Francisco on May 17th, 1940, the product of first generation Scandinavian immigrant parents – his birthday falling, appropriately, on Norwegian Constitution Day which he loved to celebrate. He was the middle child, with an older sister (Aneta) and younger brother (Kenneth). Gordon was a precocious child by any account, an excellent student in school, and displayed a broad intellectual curiosity that would stay with him throughout his life. Gordon graduated from Brown Military Academy in 1957, where he excelled in wrestling, and also competed in swimming and drill. Also while at BMI, he ably collected both demerits as well as numerous awards for debate/forensics.
Gordon briefly attended Long Beach State for college, later enlisting in the Coast Guard where he was honorably discharged after four years. He then worked as a field radar maintenance specialist for Westinghouse, installing and testing heavy-ground radar systems for the U.S. Air Force. It was while working in Eastern Oregon on a North American Air Defense Command project that he met his wife, Loretta, a public school teacher, with whom he was married for 52 years.
In the late 1960s, returning to college with the GI Bill, Gordon attended Cal State Hayward where he graduated in 1969 with a B.S. in Geology and a minor in Greek Literature and Philosophy. While an undergrad, Gordon taught lab sections in introductory geology and facilitated lab experiments in the physics department, as well as curated the paleontology collection. During this time, Gordon also worked with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. In his spare time, Gordon enjoyed many outdoor activities with Loretta, including golfing and backpacking.
Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Gordon relocated with Loretta to Monmouth, Oregon, where he would complete both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Oceanography (with an emphasis in Marine Geology) at Oregon State University, while also minoring in the History of Science. During his dissertation work, Gordon also was a physical science instructor at nearby Western Oregon State College (now WOU), teaching non-major students a year-long sequence featuring a variety of scientific disciplines. In 1980, Kaare was born, Loretta and Gordon’s only child. While at OSU, where Gordon would stay until 1992, Gordon was a Senior Researcher in Geophysics in the College of Oceanography. He also supervised the thesis research of international students and served on thesis committees in various academic disciplines as a Graduate School Representative. During summer breaks, Gordon spent many weeks each year enjoying the Oregon coast with family and extended family.
In 1992, Gordon would relocate to Seattle, Washington where he would join Seafloor Surveys International as a Project Manager, Survey Party Chief, and In-Field Geologist, surveying routes for fiber-optic telecommunication cable systems. During his decade at SSI, Gordon worked on 30 different projects, spending 4 to 6 months a year at sea in locations such as the North Pacific, North and South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and Indian Oceans.
Upon retiring to Edmonds, Washington, where his wife Loretta would join him after concluding her career in teaching, Gordon continued his avid collection of military firearms, was a prolific gardener, became active in grassroots Republican politics, and served on the Snohomish County Planning Commission for three full terms. Toward the end of his tenure on the commission, the deadly Oso slide occurred. Gordon was a constant presence at countless meetings and hearings, even after being term-limited, bringing his professional expertise to focus on finding the cause, holding people to account, and working with others to prevent a similar tragedy.
Gordon is survived by his wife Loretta, his son Kaare, his brother Kenneth, his sister Aneta, and a wide-ranging extended family from Oregon, California, Ohio, and Colorado, who loved him dearly for his wit, good humor, and loyalty. In lieu of flowers or other typical remembrances, Gordon would ask that you sit down with your loved ones, enjoy a good single malt scotch, and cut a check to the National Rifle Association.