J. Robert Gordon
Board of Trustees Chair, 2017
Principal Geotechnical Engineer, GeoEngineers
Commitment to the Library
“Serving on the Library Board of Trustees is the most enjoyable ‘extracurricular’ experience of my career. It is easy to love our library. And our people in our library. The American population owes a lot to the principles that are embedded in our libraries and the people who run them: dedication to freedom, equality, civil rights and opportunity for all. Those principles, the way our library serves the public, and who our library people are, ultimately captured my heart. Supporting our library is tremendously rewarding!”
Favorite Book
“One of my favorites was actually a Whatcom READS book, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown. I sat down and read it in a snowy afternoon, while at a cabin in the Methow Valley. I read so little for fun! Being on the Board of Trustees forces me to read books for fun, giving me an opportunity to support reading as well as being part of our local community reading program.”
Day Job
“I am a Senior Principal in the local office of GeoEngineers. We are an employee-owned company providing consulting expertise in engineering, earth sciences and technology, with 13 offices nationwide and 320 employees serving public- and private-sector clients.”
Leisure Pursuits
“I love to spend my free time with family and friends, cooking, sea kayaking, backpacking, road biking, taking photographs, skate skiing or just relaxing at our cabin in the Methow Valley. I also find wood working in my shop very cathartic in the winter!”
Term of Office: October, 2006 through December, 2017
J. Gordon Appreciation Day: Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville proclaimed December 19, 2017 as “J. Gordon Appreciation Day” in honor of J.’s years of service to our community.