Page 53 - December 2017

11th District unveils K-9 statue in tribute to fallen of cer
n BY DAN CAMPANA
As far as tributes go, the 11th District’s new K-9 statue hon- oring Officer Michael Gordon can’t be more spot-on.
A small portrait of Gordon — right down to his crooked smile, his U.S. Army Airborne jump wings and his CPD star — adorns the painted German Shepherd statue in a design that carries great meaning to Michael’s brother, John.
“The K-9 statue itself is amazing, and my family is forever grateful to the artist, Toni Alcazar, for her hard work and cre- ativity,” John Gordon said.
Michael Gordon died in the line of duty in 2004, when a drunken driver struck Gordon’s squad car. His tragic death hit his family deeply. It inspired John Gordon to start a foun- dation in his brother’s name and to spend several years working with the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
Officials with the 11th District and the Gordon family were on hand for a November dedication ceremony to debut the K-9 statue. It was part of a summer-long public art campaign during which dozens of 54-inch-tall, uniquely designed fig- ures stood prominently along Michigan Avenue as part of a fundraising campaign for the CPMF and PAWS Chicago.
John Gordon said the ceremony continued to fulfill the
wish of all Gold Star families that “our officer is never for- gotten.” Conversations with those who knew Michael also meant a lot to John, who heard about his brother’s dedica- tion to his fellow officers and commitment to his work.
“From the officers who worked with Mike and still keep in touch with my family, I found out that he was quite an in- spiration in the district. He brought a lot of knowledge with him to the 11th and the guys/gals looked to him as a leader and teacher. I would say he left a mark on the district,” John Gordon said. d
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