Tom Gordon has served on the CIE board longer than history. But that is apparently long enough. Tom is retiring from service as of May 10 to devote more time to surfing/skateboarding, playing with the amphibians in his backyard pond, roasting his own coffee beans, and, of course, enjoying his lovely family.  

CIE will continue without Tom, but we’re not happy about it. What are we supposed to do without him? You see, Tom has literally put the coffee in our Coffee Clubs, roasting and grinding the coffee beans that he supplies for our Friday morning brew. Now we’ll have to settle for store-bought swill. 

And then there’s the annual CIE Retreat and New Faculty Picnic, which Tom has hosted since Jason Slade was a new faculty pup at NMC and even before that. We socialize on the patio at the Gordon Estate while the frog/toad chorus mates in the Tom Toad Rave in the backyard pond. Good times, for sure.

And because Tom is just that kind of guy, he is hosting one last CIE Retreat and New Faculty Picnic on his very last day as an NMC employee. Amazing! Typical! Tom has always been ready to step up and help out with anything and everything CIE. Tom has contributed positive energy, great ideas, kind counsel, and a sense of humor throughout his time on the CIE.

We’ll miss you Tom and, if you change your mind about retirement, you’re back on the board! If not, enjoy, enjoy!

Best wishes also to our other NMC faculty retiring this year: Dave Traines, Steve Drake, Blake Key, and Glenn Wolff. Happy retirement!