Getting to Know Your Neighbor: Lawrence Gordon: City councilor, retired officer, chess instructor and line dancing enthusiast

Lawrence R. Gordon Jr. is a city councilor and mayor pro temp in the city of Rio Communities. He is a father of two — son, Casey, and his wife, Kathy, and their three children, Jayden, Casey and Luke; and a daughter, Ariana. All of his family lives in New Jersey.

Q What do you think about when you are alone in your car?

A “While I am alone driving, I mostly think about my family, friends and different clubs and activities that I am apart of, such as the Optimist Club, chess club and line dancing.

“Family and friends are particularly important to me, and I make it a point to make sure both are in a good place mentally and physically, so I think about and check on them often.

“I am a person who believes that we should give back to the community so I enjoy participating in clubs that help our youth, so I value my time with the Optimist Club and teaching chess, and line dancing is my way of getting out and socializing and getting a cardio workout.”

Q What is a myth about your profession you would like to bust?

A “The biggest myth is that we get into city government to get rich. Almost everyone I know spends their time and money to get elected in order to help their city to move forward in a positive manner. Now that does not mean that people always agree or what is the right way forward but with conversations and compromise a path forward can always be made.

Q What were you like in high school?

A “I considered myself an athletic/nerd. I played football, participated in the school dances and took auto mechanics. I had a lot of friends and enjoyed my high school years.”

Q What was the best advice you have received and from whom?

A “The best advice I received was given to me by my parents; to always look a person in the eye when speaking to them and no one is better than you and you are not better than anyone.”

Q What did you want to be when you grew up?

A “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a pilot but quickly changed to becoming an aeronautical engineer, but I learned that wearing glasses disqualified me at the time.

“As I got older, I realized that building, designing, and maintaining aircraft would give me far more opportunities.”

Q Who inspires you?

A “I was mostly inspired by my mother; my mother was a woman who was short in height but huge in character. My mother, Betty Sue Gordon, only stood 5-feet tall but when she walked into a room she was respected and treated as if she was 6-foot, 5-inches tall.

“My mother was a person who everyone came to and left feeling more confident and with a refreshing smile as if everything were going to be OK.”

Q If you could work any other job for one day, what would it be and why?

A “I would like to be an astronaut since seeing the earth from space has always been something of which I have dreamed.

Q What do you do in your free time?

A “In my free time, I enjoy going for rides on my motorcycle with the lady in my life, Cherie, line-dancing in Belen and Rio Communities, playing and teaching chess, spending time with friends and traveling.”

Q What is something about you that most people do not know?

A “I like history, especially war history, from what brought on the conflict to what changed after the conflict was over and how it changed the world. I also study the roles of African Americans during this conflict and how their lives changed when they came home. As the saying goes, ‘We must study the past or else history will repeat itself.’”

Q What three books would you take to a deserted island?

A “If I was going to a deserted island the three books that I would take with me would be the King James Bible to inspire and to give me hope during my difficult times. Tom Clancy’s book “Red Storm Rising” because it’s one of my favorite books by my favorite author and I don’t mind reading it over and over again. My third book would be The Doctor’s book on Natural Cures.”

Q You find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What do you do?

A “If I found a lottery ticket the first thing I would have done if I were in a store I would have ask the cashier if they knew who it belonged to and given it to them. But if it was on the street, I would keep the money and payoff my house and any debt, my children’s college loans and purchase homes for them, setup college fund’s for my grandchildren and put the rest away for a rainy day.”

Q Who is your best friend, and why?

A “Well, I do not have a best friend, I have best friends. When I moved out here from New Jersey in 2016, I knew no one and I met some dynamic gentlemen who have quickly embraced me a bond was formed. Ron, Donald and later Steve; these men I would say are my best friends. These are men of character that I am glad to be associated with.”

Q What is your favorite song to sing to when you are alone?

A “It is hard to say what my favorite song to sing when I am alone because it depends on what I am doing. While I am working, house sweeping and cleaning it maybe, ‘Chain Gang’ or ‘Keep on Trucking.’ But while relaxing, it’ll be ‘Always and Forever’ or ‘Have You Seen Her.’”

Q Where is my happy place, and why?

A “I believe that my happy places would be either out on my motorcycle with the lady in my life, or on the couch relaxing and watching a movie. The key is just finding a place to unwind for a little while before the real world starts again.”

Q Have you had a life changing experience that led you to where you are today?

A “The life-changing thing that led me to New Mexico was my retirement. After 26 years as a police officer in Bayonne, N.J., I retired and moved to a warmer place that I had visited in the early 2000s, a place that I came to realize was the best place for my health, less crowded and where I could ride my motorcycle almost year-round. It was one of the best changes that I have ever made.”

Q What teacher had the greatest impact on you?

A “I would have to say that my auto mechanic’s teacher Mr. Charles Guerra was the most influential teacher I had ever had. He took some teenage boys and taught us about the real world and what it took to be a man in it. When he spoke to you, it was with his truth and real-life lessons, which helped you understand the reason you were there. Young boys became men in his class that were ready to go to work.”

Q What is your favorite movie and why?

A “My favorite movie is ‘Top Gun.’ The movie had everything in it, action, great story line and great music. The movie was about what I wanted to do most as a youth, and it had my favorite fighter jet in the movie, (F-14 Tomcat). ‘I feel the need for speed.’

Q If you could have dinner with one famous person — dead or alive — who would it be and why?

A “If I could have dinner with a famous person, I think I would have to choose President Obama. I would like to know how it felt to be the first African-American to become the president of the United States and the struggles that came with taking on the role.”

Q What are you most proud of?

A “The thing that I am most proud of in my life is my children. My children are adults who are healthy, loving, respectful people that have made career choices they’re passionate about and they give back to society.

“I am very proud of my legacy, for if we have nothing else to remember by it is our children and how we influenced their lives and prepared them for the real world.”

Q How would you like to be remembered?

A “I would like to be remembered as a man who was loyal to his friends, who was always willing to bring you up whenever you were down and a man that was true to his word. I would like to be remembered as a good man.”