IN MEMORY & HONOR
The Rotary Club of Jamestown honored deceased member Gordie Black at its recent 24th Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Black had been a long-time member of the club and was an avid golfer, playing year after year in the tournament, until his death in 2017 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Pictured (L to R): Sally Black received a Paul Harris Fellow recognition posthumously for her husband from Sue Jones and Phil Cala at the 24th Annual Rotary Charity Golf Classic, held this year in Gordie Black’s honor.
The son of Warner and Gerda Black, Gordie graduated from Jamestown High School in 1948 and from Allegheny College in 1953, playing baseball throughout. After his graduation from college, Black served in the US Army. He returned to Jamestown and spent his working career in purchasing and sales positions, retiring in 1995. He was active in the Rotary Club of Jamestown, the United Way, past president of Moon Brook Country Club, the AAA of Jamestown, Family Service, and was a founding member of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. Mr. Black was a lifelong member of the First Lutheran Church, serving there as past council president, finance committee member and as an usher. In retirement, he was a member of the housing and foundation boards of Lutheran Social Services and as a Red Cross volunteer.
Black was married to the former Sally Nelson and father to Gordon Timothy of Charlotte, Robert Andrew of Fairport and Carolyn of West Chester, PA and grandfather to Jennifer and Claire of Charlotte. A loving family man, he was committed to making Jamestown a better place to live. Blessed with an infectious sense of humor, great pride in his Scandinavian heritage, an avid Detroit Tigers fan, and always ready for a round of golf, he has left a void in the lives of his many friends and family.
The Rotary Club of Jamestown presented his wife with a posthumous Paul Harris Fellow recognition in his honor – the second he has received. Black knew before his death that he was to receive this honor and chose to also honor his wife Sally with a Paul Harris Fellow recognition of her own. The Rotary Club of Jamestown presented Sally with her certificate, her medallion and her Paul Harris Fellow pin to commemorate the ceremony.
Mrs. Black was a graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and was the Director of Nursing for the Jamestown School of Practical Nursing for many years, deeply affecting the quality of nursing care in hospitals and nursing homes throughout our county. She was one of the first women to pursue her long-distance satellite degree, by driving to BOCES and pointing the satellite towards Cincinnati to finally acquire her Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. She went on the become Director of Nursing for Jamestown General Hospital where she again made a significant impact on the quality of patient care in Chautauqua County. She retired in 1988 and devoted her life to her family and enjoys playing bridge and golf.
Pictured (L to R): Sally Black received her Paul Harris Fellow medallion and pin from Rotarian Sue Jones.
The Rotary Club of Jamestown was honored to be able to present these Paul Harris Fellows to the Blacks.