Loss and Legacy

I, and many others, lost a friend and former colleague last night. Gordon died following a massive heart attack at the weekend. He'd worked extensively in the hospitality and catering industry before moving to share his knowledge and expertise with hundreds and hundreds of vocational students at Wakefield College then at Thomas Danby College (now Leeds City College). I met him when we were both working at Thomas Danby. As we live about a 10 minute walk from each other in Wakefield we sometimes used to get the train in to work together where we would have a collective work-related whinge and put the world to rights. Gordon was also well known in Wakefield as a major supporter of and the compere for the Rhubarb Festival.

He retired from the college in the Autumn and had just put a deposit down on a property in Australia where he and his wife were intending to retire to.

I was due to be at a meeting in Durham today and got to the station and burst into tears. I ended up back at the college in Leeds instead as I felt a need to be near members of his former team. The college had the official launch of the Bakery/Patisserie department in the new college building - one of the areas Gordon managed - and I realised that these training facilities, the teaching staff in those teams and the students (past, present and future) are Gordon's legacy.

A good man. Gone too soon. Rest in Peace.