Page 29 - Barbecue News April 2020 Issue

not their tastes. This is what any competition is based upon — from the judging perspective.
Gordon has lived in Boca Raton for over 55 years and his list of accomplishments here is phenomenal. Boca has a walk of fame with stars embedded
into the sidewalk. There is a Gor-
don Gilbert star recognizing his
many contributions to Boca Raton.
(photo) He was a High School Bi-
ology teacher from 1965 to1978.
He remained with the School Board
until 2003 when he retired. He fo-
cused on Environmental Science in
his classes and became known for
his love of our environment and
the need to protect it. He recently
canceled a judging assignment to a
BBQ to participate in the dedica-
tion of a new park in Boca. You can
see where his priorities lie. Gordon
coached golf for many years and
some of his students went on to
have professional golf careers. He
was instrumental in building a
park system in Boca, something
that didn't exist when he first
moved there. He served on that
Board for many years. Since 1992
there has been a scholarship in
Gordon's name for the local High
School where he taught. He still
gives lectures at the local libraries
on environmentally inspired subjects. His list of commu- nity service contributions is too long to include in this arti- cle. He has an equally long list of Awards and Honors recognizing his many contributions to his community. There have even been a couple of BBQ contests in Boca where he tried to contribute and they turned him down. Neither were successful.
Perhaps the greatest contribution Gordon has given back to Boca Raton, and to Florida, is the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Early on, he led the city in the purchase of 60 acres on the ocean. Today, the cost of this land would be prohibi- tive. This included one of the few remaining Hammocks left in South Florida. On this land, he went on to lead the City to build the Nature Center. It's 3300 square feet of in- door facilities promoting the protection of the environ- ment. Additional outdoor facilities are also included. The main emphasis of this facility is the preservation and pro- tection of sea turtles. They have surgical facilities for tur- tles complete with X-ray equipment and operating tables. They rehabilitate turtles that have been hit by boats; tur- tles tangled in fishing lines and hooks; and other damaged species. They shared photos with me of the trash and de- bris from the ocean swallowed by sea turtles. It was fright-
ening. Gordon's first exposure to turtles was soon after he moved to Boca. He encountered all the traffic stopped on a major street along the coastline. When he checked, several large sea turtles were crossing the street and going toward the street lights. The local people were carrying the turtles
back to the ocean to protect them. Gordon said, "More needs to be done." And, he did it. The center was founded by Gordon, and there is a large plaque at the entrance dedicated to Gordon. (photo) The name came from Gordon's favorite tree, the Gumbo Limbo tree. They have turtle specialists on staff plus the Florida Atlantic University has students working in the center with efforts focused on sea turtles. He was able to get then-Governor Askew to form a special taxing Board to raise funds for the center. The center is supported by dona- tions. Today, there is no admission fee and people are encouraged to visit regularly. The day I was there they were preparing to release three rehabilitated turtles back into the ocean following treatment at Gumbo Limbo. Gordon has es- tablished a scholarship program from Gumbo Limbo for students interested in the environmental sciences. I received a personally guided tour of the Nature Center
by Gordon and met the manager, Leanne Welch, who gives all the credit for this wonderful facility to Gordon. He has given so much back to his community and his fellow citi- zens. Plus, he has a very keen taste for competition BBQ and championship pies. The BBQ World is indeed fortunate to have Gordon as one of our active participants. Gordon is a year away from becoming a nonagenarian.
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