Dane Gordon, beloved RIT historian and educator, dies at age 94

Dane Gordon, beloved professor emeritus, Presbyterian minister, and author of two books on the history of RIT, died Jan. 22 after a brief illness.

Professor Gordon, who retired from RIT in 2000, was 94. In his 38 years at RIT, he served as a professor of philosophy, department chair, and acting dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

In 2014, he and his wife, Judith, committed $300,000 from their estate plans to create The Dane R. Gordon Endowed Fund for Philosophy Student Success. The fund aids students conducting research and scholarship leading to the completion of their philosophy degree, supports philosophy students pursuing academic internships that further their professional and career goals, and supports the Dane R. Gordon Lecture Series in the Department of Philosophy that hosts distinguished philosophy scholars who address the RIT and Rochester communities. In 2016, the Dane R. Gordon Seminar Room in Liberal Arts Hall was dedicated to him.

Professor Gordon was passionate about education.

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A. Sue Weisler

RIT Professor Emeritus Dane Gordon often shared his poetry with groups on campus. Here, he reads to a group at Shop One on the university campus.

“I always asked questions, even as a child,” he once said. “Teaching is sharing. And if you are very excited about the topic, it’s something you will enjoy sharing with others.”

RIT President David Munson praised Professor Gordon’s commitment to RIT.

“The RIT community is extremely grateful for Dane’s work as a faculty member, as a leader, and as a storyteller in sharing the history of our great university through his writings,” Munson said. “The fund he and Judith established will help us carry out his love of education by supporting students and promoting scholarship in his beloved field of philosophy.”

James Winebrake, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, recalled the impact that Professor Gordon had on his students and colleagues.

“As a philosopher, historian, and writer, Dane encouraged us to look deeply at the world around us and within ourselves,” Winebrake said. “As a teacher, he inspired so many young people to find their passion and share it with the world. As a faculty member, Dane put his heart and soul into student success. I often meet alumni who recall with genuine pleasure their experiences in his classes. He will be greatly missed, but his many gifts and talents will live on in perpetuity at RIT. All of us are better for knowing Dane Gordon.”

Born in London, Professor Gordon became active in theater and writing poetry and served with the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he studied at the University of Cambridge, the University of London, and the University of Rochester, receiving degrees in history, divinity, and philosophy. He became associate minister at Central Presbyterian Church, in the building that now houses Hochstein School of Music.

His career with RIT began when he was asked to fill in for a philosophy professor, and he soon was invited to join the faculty. Over his career, he coordinated international conferences on philosophy, traveled to more than 40 countries, and wrote and edited books on philosophy, the philosophy of religion, political thought, and Old Testament studies, in addition to two editions of the history of RIT. In 1997, he earned the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, RIT’s highest honor for teaching. He was active in the Genesee Valley Presbytery for more than 50 years and had published several books of poetry, dealing largely with the interaction of philosophical thinking and religious thought.

A poem he wrote for the dedication of the Dane R. Gordon Seminar Room adorns the wall of that room. Entitled All That is Left, it tells the tale of his encounter of an elderly woman returning to campus, and it concludes:

“How we should value our
family, our friends, one another.
We know them for just
a moment, and they are gone,
and we are gone, and all that is left are
memories of kindness
or not.”

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 2, at Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St., Rochester, N.Y. 14614.