GERTRUDE SALZER GORDON (1906-1998). PAPERS, 1900-1999.  4.6 cubic feet (7 archives boxes and two large flat oversize boxes.)

Abstract

Personal papers of La Crosse philanthropist Gertrude Salzer Gordon and her family. Gertrude Salzer, granddaughter of Salzer Seed Company founder, John A. Salzer, married Donald Gordon, Sr., son of prominent La Crosse lawyer, George Gordon. Among Gertrude Salzer Gordon’s papers are newspaper clippings including a ticket to the 1953 Rose Bowl football game, correspondence, calendar datebooks, and financial papers detailing her investments. Some Salzer Seed Company memorabilia such as samples of advertising and stationary is included, but the collection does not contain any landscaping information. Donald Gordon, Sr. was active in state Republican party politics and materials relating to his political involvement include two signed letters from 1940 Republican presidential candidate, Wendell Wilke. Papers from Donald “Sandy” Gordon, Jr., son of Gertrude Salzer Gordon and Donald Gordon, Sr., include mainly correspondence. Miscellaneous materials are also included for Gertrude Salzer Gordon’s mother, Clara Kremers Salzer, and Donald Gordon, Sr.’s parents, George H. Gordon and Stella Goddard Gordon.

Photographs from this collection include images of individuals in the Gordon and Salzer families, homes of the Salzer and Gordon families, and several photos pertaining to the Salzer Seed Company.

Acc. No. 1999-3 from Gertrude Salzer Gordon estate donated by Judy Bouffleur, Jan. 1999. Many portrait photographs were donated to Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in exchange for copies.

Acc. No. 2002-13 donated by Judy Bouffler, April 2002.
Donated by
Processed by Christine Stolz, July 2004.

Biography

Gertrude Salzer, daughter of Henry and Clara (Kremers) Salzer, was born on January 26, 1906 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was the granddaughter of John A. Salzer, the founder of the Salzer Seed Company in La Crosse in 1868. Gertrude graduated from Central High School in 1924 and went on to obtain a liberal arts degree from Connecticut College, New Lisbon, Connecticut. After returning to La Crosse, she married Donald Alexander Gordon, son of George H. and Stella (Goddard) Gordon, on November 22, 1930. George H. Gordon was an attorney and dean of the La Crosse County Bar Association. Gertrude and Donald’s only child, Donald Alexander “Sandy” Gordon, Jr., was born on July 11, 1932.

Donald Gordon, Sr. was a stockbroker who became involved in politics in the 1920’s by raising finances for the Republican party’s work in La Crosse County. He was elected treasurer of the state central committee of the Republican Party in 1934 and became actively involved with the Wisconsin State Republican Party. In 1936, Gordon was elected third congressional district chairman of the state Republican voluntary organization. Donald Gordon, Sr. passed away unexpectedly on April 6, 1943, leaving a widow and a young son. A number of prominent state Republicans attended his funeral.

Gertrude Salzer Gordon never remarried. While raising her son, Donald, Jr., also known as “Sandy,” she was actively involved in the community. She served on the board of the Family Welfare Society for ten years, served seventeen years on the board of the La Crosse Home for Children, served on the original board of the Community Chest (a forerunner of the United Way), and was a member and president of the board of the YWCA. She also served on board of Elder Care and the Bethany Home board as a representative of the First Presbyterian Church.

Gertrude Salzer Gordon was a generous philanthropist. She made large financial contributions to a wide variety of local organizations including the Gertrude Salzer Gordon Children’s Museum, the First Presbyterian Church, the North Presbyterian Church, Gundersen and Lutheran Hospital Foundations, the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium, the Boys and Girls Club, the Family and Children’s Center, the La Crosse Public Library, and many others. Gertrude Salzer Gordon passed away on August 25, 1998.

Her son, Donald, Jr., graduated from Central High School in 1950, and attended Beloit College and what is now the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He developed a love of baseball early in his life, and in 1989, offered to donate $1.25 million to the city of La Crosse to be used toward the construction of a new baseball stadium at West Copeland Park which he requested be named after his father. His donation would have paid for half of the cost of the new stadium. La Crosse city voters turned down Gordon’s offer in April 1989. Gordon, along with D. B. Reinhart and Norman L. Gillette, Sr., was later responsible for helping to bring the professional basketball team, the Catbirds, to La Crosse in 1985. Gordon also served on the boards of many charitable organizations, and he made many generous donations to local organizations including the La Crosse Area Boys and Girls Club, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and the La Crosse Foundation. Gordon, who never married, died on Nov. 9, 1995.

Scope and Content

The Gertrude Salzer Gordon papers document the personal lives of the Salzer and Gordon families. The papers are categorized into nine series, corresponding to groups and individual family members: SALZER AND GORDON FAMILIES; GERTRUDE SALZER GORDON; DONALD GORDON, SR.; DONALD GORDON, JR.; CLARA KREMERS SALZER; GEORGE H. GORDON; and STELLA GODDARD GORDON. The photographs in the collection are separated from the papers into two series: PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES and OVERSIZE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES.

The SALZER AND GORDON FAMILIES series (n.d.; 1930-1999) includes newspaper clippings which discuss the personal, professional, and political lives of members of the families. Articles discussing the homes of the Salzer and Gordon families are also included. Memorabilia such as a 1953 Rose Bowl ticket is included; in this game, the University of Southern California Trojans defeated the University of Wisconsin Badgers, 7-0.

The GERTRUDE SALZER GORDON series consists of a variety of personal papers and memorabilia. Items include three address books (n.d.), a birthday and anniversary book (ca. 1960s?), and many calendar datebooks (1917-1993) listing Gordon’s day-to-day appointments and activities. Charitable giving (n.d.; 1985-1998) includes information on donations made by Gordon and some information is also included on her friend and caregiver, Judy Bouffleur. Church membership materials (1952) contain a certificate of membership to First Presbyterian Church in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Gertrude Salzer Gordon’s correspondence has been grouped into three categories: incoming correspondence (n.d.; 1907-1911; 1943-1992); outgoing correspondence (n.d.; 1930-1960), the bulk of which is letters and postcards written to her husband and son; and engagement and wedding correspondence (1930), the bulk of which is congratulatory notes and telegrams relating to the engagement and wedding.

Financial materials are made up of loose papers (n.d.; 1924-1927; 1943-1998) which contain information on Gertrude Salzer Gordon’s investments and dividends paid to her. A small budget book is also contained here detailing Gordon’s college expenses from 1924-1927. An investment ledger (1943-1996) provides more detailed records of Gordon’s later investments and dividends.

Recital programs (1914-1923) are photocopies of the originals and list Gertrude Salzer Gordon’s participation in piano recitals. Salzer’s House of Flowers (1934-1935) contains ads and menus from the gift shop and restaurant owned by the Salzer family. Salzer Seed Company memorabilia (n.d.) includes an advertisement containing a photograph of Gordon’s father, Henry A. Salzer, and samples of Salzer Corporation stationery. This subseries does not contain any information about landscaping or plants that were grown by the Salzer Seed Company or Gertrude Salzer Gordon.

Gertrude Salzer Gordon’s social diary (1930-1985?) is filled with a variety of information including names of individuals she entertained, menus, lists of gifts she received, and home decorating information. Gordon’s travelmemorabilia (1924-1959) contains three notebooks she kept during her travels and other travel related papers.

The first subseries of the DONALD GORDON, SR. series includes correspondence. The incoming correspondence (1939-1942) includes a Christmas card from Wisconsin governor, Julius Heil and his wife, and two signed letters from 1940 Republican presidential candidate, Wendell Wilke. One letter is personally addressed to Donald Gordon, Sr., while the other is addressed to “Dear Fellow Citizen.” The bulk of the outgoing correspondence (n.d.; 1913-1943) contains letters to his wife, Gertrude, and other family members.

Donald Gordon, Sr.’s educational memorabilia (n.d.; 1910-1922) contains samples of work done in elementary school, a report card from Lincoln School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and items from Cornell University including a framed athletic certificate from 1921.

Donald Gordon, Sr.’s estate materials (1943-1946) consist of his will; letters he prepared for his wife, Gertrude Salzer Gordon, and Donald Gordon, Jr.; a State of Wisconsin Joint resolution extending condolences to the family; correspondence to the family after Gordon’s death; and financial papers regarding the settlement of his estate.

Political involvement (1940) papers include a welcome badge from the city of Philadelphia to Donald A. Gordon for attending the 1940 Republican National Convention, an October 21, 1940, train ticket to ride on Wendell Wilke’s campaign trip, and a picture of Gordon as part of the Wisconsin State Executive Convention Committee.

This manuscript also contains papers from Gertrude Salzer Gordon and Donald Gordon, Sr.’s son, Donald Gordon, Jr. The DONALD GORDON, JR. series include awards (n.d.; 1991) received by Gordon from Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the La Crosse Area Boys and Girls Club.

Donald Gordon, Jr.’s correspondence consists of three groups: incoming (1942-1957); outgoing (n.d.; 1950-1956), the bulk of which is made up of personal letters to his mother, Gertrude Salzer Gordon; and correspondence from Gordon to his mother while at summer camp. The correspondence from Camp Manito-wish in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin (1943-1946), and Shady Trails Camp in Ann Arbor, Michigan (1945-1946), also contain some memorabilia such as camp newsletters.

Donald Gordon, Jr.’s diary (1943-1947) contains very few entries, and the entries that are included are very brief. His educational memorabilia (1946-1950) includes report cards and a diploma from Central High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and report cards from Beloit College and Wisconsin State Teachers College, now known as the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

There are very few financial materials (1983) included; the only item is a personal financial statement detailing his assets and liabilities.

The miscellaneous materials of CLARA KREMERS SALZER, GEORGE H. GORDON, and STELLA GODDARD GORDON are less extensive and each series only contains a few items.

The miscellaneous materials of CLARA KREMERS SALZER (1924-1955?) include a name card with a personal notation on the back to her daughter, Gertrude Salzer Gordon; a postcard; and a listing of individuals she wanted remembered with personal items after her death.

The GEORGE H. GORDON miscellaneous materials (1900-1941) consist of a 1900 letter of recommendation from Ellis B. Usher from the La Crosse Morning Chronicle newspaper to the Honorable Henry C. Payne, member for Wisconsin of the Republican National Committee; an invitation to the fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration of George H. and Stella Gordon; telegrams received by the family after Gordon’s death; and a memoriam to Gordon written by Wisconsin State Chief Justice Marvin B. Rosenberry.

The STELLA GODDARD GORDON materials consist of a short memoir (1942) prepared as part of a La Crosse centennial interview project. A will (1952) is also included.

The PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES include photographs of the Gordon family; Donald Gordon, Sr.; Donald “Sandy” Gordon, Jr.; Gertrude Salzer Gordon, Gordon or Salzer families; the Salzer family, and family friends. The Salzer Seed Company photos include two interior shots of green houses and one of a floral arrangement. The photos of the Salzer and Gordon homes include photos of the following La Crosse, Wisconsin, addresses: 1205 S. 7th St.; 1634 King St.; 137 S. 17th St.; 534 S. 17th St.; 1805 King St.; 1434 Cass St.; and 2575 Edgewood Place. A scrapbook assembled by Gertrude Salzer Gordon (ca. 1920s-1935) includes photos of friends and family.

The OVERSIZE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES include wedding portraits of Gertrude Salzer Gordon (1930), portraits of Donald Gordon, Sr., and one portrait of George H. Gordon.

Other sources:

Other collections at the La Crosse Public Library Archives that contain material pertaining to the Salzer and Gordon families include:

Newpaper clipping file:
    Biography-Gordon, Donald “Sandy”
    Biography-Gordon, George
    Biography-Gordon, Gertrude Salzer
    Biography-Salzer, Henry A.
    Biography-Salzer, John Adam (Rev.)
    Biography-Salzer, John P.
    Biography-Salzer, Mrs. John P.
    Biography-Salzer, Kenneth E.
    Industries-Salzer, John A. Seed Company
    Organizations-Children’s Museum of La Crosse

Ephemera file:
    Biography-Gordon, Gertrude Salzer
    Industries-Salzer Seed Company
    Organizations-Children’s Museum of La Crosse

Cataloged items in the archives vault:
    John A. Salzer Seed Company catalogs.
    Salzer, John Adam. Autobiography: a translation from the diary of John A. Salzer.
    Mss 5 Salzer family. Salzer summer home scrapbooks [manuscript], 1897-1898.