Alden Everett Gordon was born in this area in 1905 and graduated from Wittenberg College in 1927. He married Dorothy Gillard in 1934, and they raised a son, Charles Geron, who became an attorney. Later in life Mr. Geron became a Vice President at Beckly & Myers Co. He died in 1991 and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery.
To explain why he is of interest requires a detour, to the third floor of Recitation Hall.
At the south end of the third floor lies the suite that many knew as housing University Communications. It's Room 311, the Philospohian Society room. In that suite of rooms is a blackboard ... sticking out of a wall. Or to be more accurate, the blackboard is attached to one wall, and another wall was added at some point, leaving one portion of the blackboard on one side of the wall and the other end on the other side of the wall. It is a most peculiar looking thing. (top photo)
But that is not the most peculiar thing. At the top of the blackboard is some writing. On closer inspection it is a name, only it is upside down. One might wonder how someone got up there and then managed to write his name upside down, but of course that is not the story. No doubt he scratched his name into the bottom of the blackboard, someone later removed the blackboard and subsequently re-installed it upside down, and, still later, someone built a wall into it. (bottom photo)
But there it is, scratched into that blackboard still, over ninety years later, and it reads (though upside down):
A. Everett Geron ‘27
About The Project
With Wittenberg now celebrating its 175th year, and the University unable to hold regular in-person classes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor of History Thomas T. Taylor has started circulating several pieces on Wittenberg's history. Some originated in earlier series, either This Month in Wittenberg History or Happy Birthday Wittenberg. Others have their origin in the Wittenberg History Project or in some other, miscellaneous project. Sincerest thanks to Professor Taylor for connecting alumni, faculty, staff, and students through a historic lens.
Looking Back: Historical Briefs by Professor Thomas Taylor
He left his mark on Wittenberg, so to speak. (Is there a statute of limitations on vandalism fines?)