Gordon, 75, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Gordon’s passion for design and engineering began when he took on the position of the Editor for Chicago’s Building, Design, and Construction Magazine in the early 1970’s. Gordon served in this role for 32 years; something he admitted would be a rare occurrence in our current economy. Currently residing at the Brookdale Plaza Hawthorn Lakes Community in Vernon Hills, IL, Gordon wanted to have the opportunity to see the new attractions at the Willis Tower and the John Hancock Tower. The buildings are named the “Ledge” and the “Tilt!”. Gordon has not been back to either of these magnificent skyscrapers for over a decade, and at this time, neither the “Ledge” nor the ‘Tilt!” were in existence.
Gordon served in the United States Army from 1961-1964, retiring with the rank of a Specialist 5. He currently spends most of his days helping out other residents in his Brookdale Community. He has taken on the role of reading to individuals who have lost their eyesight, and are unable to read for themselves. Although Gordon has been living with Parkinson’s since 2003, he continues to persevere through the obstacles generated by this disease. He fears that his opportunity to see these two new architectural additions is growing slimmer by the day, and he may lose his opportunity to “step” out on these attractions due to the fact his progressing Parkinson’s is limiting his mobility.
Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale made Gordon’s wish a reality in November 2014 by sending him and his friend, Debbie, to downtown Chicago to experience both of these attractions. Gordon was very excited that he was able to ask questions to an engineer regarding the building and design of the Hancock’s new attraction. He had an incredible experience spending the day learning about the attractions’ architectures and eating lunch at the Hancock Tower’s 95th Floor cafe.