Featured Alumnus: John Gordon ’84
For John Gordon ’84, it has been a lifelong goal to serve on Avon’s Board of Directors, or at least give back to his former school in some significant way. In the past few years, things have fallen into place in all the right ways for him to make that dream a reality.
John’s appreciation for Avon began before he had officially enrolled at the school. After he spent an underwhelming freshman year at a school in his native New Jersey, he and his family agreed a change of scenery would do him good. “I needed some more structure in my life,” John admits.
His sister was a student at Miss Porter’s at the time, which exposed him to Avon Old Farms. He was intrigued by what Avon had to offer, and it was at the top of his list when he began searching for his new high school. “I saw it first when I would visit my sister and was attracted by the great athletics and the unique Cotswold village,” he says. “Then as soon as I completed my first meeting with Frank Leavitt ’52, P’76, GP’15 in admissions, I knew it was the right place.”
It wasn’t long before the people at the school began to stand out to John just as much as his surroundings. He says two teachers in particular served as mentors in a “yin and yang” fashion. The first was his soccer coach Juan Comella, who John says pushed him harder than he’s ever been pushed. “He was great. He never let me slack. He had a huge impact on me as a student and as a man. He was also fully committed to the school’s goal of a holistic education.” His other mentor was Joe Smart, chair of the English department and head librarian at the time. “He exposed me to his passion for history and storytelling ability. He became a close friend.”
For John, and for many who have been immersed in the Avon Old Farms community, it’s individuals like Comella and Smart who he remembers most. Of course, there are plenty of other experiences with lasting effect. “One thing that stands out from Avon is morning meeting. To this day, that’s had an impact on me. It made me a morning person. It gave us all a routine on how to prepare for the day.”
Athletics provided John with plenty of fond memories as well. “I learned almost as much on the athletic fields as I did in the classroom,” he says. He remembers his first year at the school when his JV soccer team played a scrimmage against the varsity team on the final practice of the fall season. Coach Comella was impressed with his performance that day and named him to the varsity team the following year. John would go on to be the team’s top scorer both his junior and senior years. He was also a member of the 1984 varsity lacrosse team that has been enshrined in Avon’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
His contribution to these two teams earned him attention from recruiters. He would go on to play both sports at the collegiate level. He matriculated to Denison University where he studied history with a secondary focus on sociology.
John’s business career in advertising sales started with a summer job in New York City selling classified listings over the phone in various trade magazines. “I fell into advertising sales by chance. I really enjoyed the process which led to a job offer upon completion of my college degree.”
The company was Ziff Davis, a tech-focused publisher that was beginning to rise in popularity as personal computers and technology advanced. In fact, John was involved in one of the first ever internet IPOs. It was during this time, while working and living in the Silicon Valley area, that John met his future wife, Jennifer. After a long run at Ziff, John and Jennifer moved to Atlanta to start a family and, as fate would have it, a new opportunity with Time Inc. materialized with Fortune Magazine and later CNNMoney.com which was repositioned as the internet home of Time Inc’s business titles.
A few years later, John landed a “dream job,” as the Southeast Sales Director for Sports Illustrated. “I have always loved sports, and the opportunity to marry sports and my career was a terrific fit.” It was yet another example of how John’s time at Avon had set him up for career success. “Avon was not easy,” he explains. “It’s one of those places when you look back you realize what an impact it had. Perseverance, team play, encouragement to be relentlessly curious—everything I learned at Avon has been directly applicable to any success I’ve had in business and in the corporate world. That’s why I still want to give back to the school.”
John would soon have the opportunity to give back. After a stint at Yahoo Inc., John started his own company, Magnolia Media Reps. Owning his own business opened up enough free time for John to return his thoughts to Avon. Another element that factored into his decision to get involved again is the fact that his youngest daughter is a junior and beginning to look at colleges. “I wanted to serve while I still was immersed in the day to day ongoings of high school,” he shares.
Timing is everything. Giving back to Avon now was also driven by recent and upcoming events at the school: his 40th reunion this past October (John and Brad Morris ’84 served as reunion chairs) and the school’s centennial celebration in 2027. It was especially rewarding for John to be in attendance at reunion as two of his classmates, Dean Graham ’84 and Brett Jefferson ’84, were honored as Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony during reunion. Another of his classmates, Morris ’84, serves on the board with him. “I’m proud of all of those guys,” he says. “It’s exciting I can serve with classmates that I went to school with in the 80’s and learn from their successes in life and business.”
After serving on a satellite development committee for about a year, John joined the Board of Directors in April. “While many of my mentors from my time at AOF have retired, it has been a real inspiration to see that the school is thriving, and the students have the same close relationship with the faculty that we did during our time on campus. I fully believe in the importance of a single-sex educational experience and Avon’s capacity to turn boys into men.” So far, John’s board focus has been on alumni engagement and development. He says that giving is critical to make sure the school is in a strong position to serve its students and faculty as Avon embarks on its next one hundred years.
“Giving back to Avon is rooted in all that the school did for me to put me on a track for success in life. After looking back on forty years, Avon stands out as a priority for support and that desire has only strengthened as the years have passed. I’ve watched the world change since my time as a student, and I’ve watched the need to teach boys to become good men become more important now than ever. I feel Avon is a very important place.”