[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16649-16650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. MILTON A. GORDON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor Dr. Milton 
A. Gordon for his distinguished career. Dr. Gordon has served for over 
two decades as president of California State University, Fullerton.
  I first met Milt Gordon more than 20 years ago when he was in his 
first year as president of my alma mater, Cal State Fullerton. As State 
senator then and a Member of Congress now, I have met countless 
community leaders, including university presidents, and I have enjoyed 
a good working relationship with them. Very few, however, have I come 
to admire and respect more than Milt Gordon. Very few do I call my very 
good friend.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gordon's impressive achievements and commitment to 
education were evident long before he became the president of Cal State 
Fullerton. As our country was undergoing the civil rights movement, 
Milt Gordon was breaking through longstanding racial barriers. He 
obtained a bachelor of science in mathematics and secondary education 
at Xavier University of Louisiana in 1957, a master of arts in 
mathematics at the University of Detroit in 1960, and lastly, a 
doctorate degree in mathematics at the Illinois Institute of Technology 
in 1968. These are significant achievements for anyone, but even more 
so for someone who had to overcome the discrimination of the time.
  It is this experience that has driven Milt Gordon's lifetime 
commitment to improving access to education for everyone. In his first 
convocation address

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at Cal State Fullerton in 1990, Dr. Gordon said, ``By providing access 
to professional careers for the broadest cross-section of Americans, 
including women and members of minority and immigrant groups, our 
university represents a pathway into the American mainstream for 
individuals and families who otherwise would not have the opportunity 
to make this step, thus helping to ensure the stability of our free 
economy and of our Democratic government.''
  That was his first commencement address. Well, from that commencement 
address, I would say that the impressive enrollment and graduation 
statistics and the many awards and accolades that Milt Gordon has 
received over the last 20-some years clearly demonstrate that he more 
than met the challenge of his work.
  Today Cal State Fullerton is one of our Nation's largest and most 
inclusive institutions of higher education. And I assure you, greater 
quality has been the hallmark of this growth. It is no exaggeration to 
say that Dr. Gordon has transformed CSUF from being a regional school 
to being a global one. His vision has provided an enriching environment 
which allows students to develop intellectual, cultural, and economic 
curiosities well beyond Orange County, California. The university in 
the Gordon years has been an unquestioned asset to the region, to the 
State, the country, and the world.
  In closing, as an alumnus and the congressman who represents this 
university, I have to say that I am sorry to see President Gordon 
retire. His accomplishments are many, and the university will continue 
to thrive because of them, but there is only one Milt Gordon. But 
speaking as a friend, I am pleased for Milt and for his wife, Marge. 
They have dedicated their lives to education, to Cal State Fullerton, 
and to their community. To that end, they deserve our deepest gratitude 
and our most heartfelt wishes for a long and enjoyable retirement after 
a job very well done.

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