Friends and Family of Marc A. Gordon
Marc Aaron Gordon was born in Chicago, Illinois but found himself moving multiple times during his youth while his father fulfilled his dream of obtaining his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Pharmacology. Marc graduated from Newton North High School in Boston Massachusetts and then moved on to complete two years at Boston College, studying Philosophy. A family move to Southern California prompted Marc to follow them and he subsequently finished his undergraduate degree in Theatre at the University of California Irvine. It was at the urging of his mother that Marc pursued classes in theatre as she felt that he was not able to express his grief after the loss of his father in the early 1980’s.
After completing his degree, Marc began a very well rounded and successful career as an actor both on stage in New York as well as in television, stage and film in Los Angeles. Marc married Lee (Mellom) Gordon in 1985 and it wasn’t until the birth of their first son that Marc decided that a career in Los Angeles was not going to fulfill all of his dreams – that of teaching the “craft” to others. Marc and his family moved to Wisconsin where Marc received his Masters in Fine Arts. Marc was very actively involved in the academic environment in Madison and pursued professional stage productions while living there.
Marc truly wanted to teach at the highest academic level and chose to continue his academic career by pursuing his Ph.D. in Theatre and Theatre History at Tufts University in Boston Massachusetts. During this time he dedicated himself to learning the theoretical side of teaching in order to be adept at being both a “practitioner” of the craft as well as a “theorist”. Marc completed his coursework at Tufts and completed his Dissertation on the works of Stanislavski.
Marc was invited to pursue his teaching career at Saginaw Valley State University in 1999. He was an innovative, expressive, demanding, and passionate professor who clearly loved teaching. Marc was interested in bringing to Saginaw and the University productions that were not only creative and professional, but thought-provoking and challenging. He loved to listen to his audience and students talk about their experience. In his brief time at Saginaw Valley State University, Dr. Gordon daily demonstrated his talent, commitment, and respect for the art of acting and theatrical production. He instilled in his students and colleagues his passion for the art form he so loved.
Marc A. Gordon unexpectedly passed away July 12, 2003. This scholarship fund was established by his wife, Lee A. Gordon, and his children Benjamin, Rebecca and David in honor of his memory.