POTSDAM - Bobby Gordon of Potsdam was recently inducted as a member of the Rotary Club of Potsdam.

Gordon graduated from Cornell University in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, and earned a master’s degree in education in 1967. She and her family moved to the Potsdam area in 1975.

She worked for St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES teaching basic literacy skills to adults for about 25 years, which she found was a very rewarding career.

Upon retiring, Gordon continued to serve in a similar fashion by coordinating an adult literacy program based in the Potsdam Public Library. The program serves adults who need to improve their reading, writing and math skills, as well as area residents who have come here from other countries and are learning English as an additional language to their own. She continues to work part time as the library’s coordinator of adult literacy.

During the past 45 years, Gordon has volunteered in diverse areas, including serving on the board of the Potsdam Interfaith Community Service Council, leading a 4H club, and volunteering in the CORC store. Currently, Gordon is a member of the Board of the Society of United Helpers.

Gordon and her husband, Ed, are the parents of four adult children. They also served as foster parents for 17 years for a person with developmental disabilities, starting when he was 6 years old. They live in a home in the country located between Potsdam and Canton.

Gordon says that she joined the Potsdam Rotary because "she felt being a member would give her the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful community."

Rotary's motto, "Service Above Self," exemplifies its humanitarian spirit. Strong fellowship among Rotarians, and meaningful community and international service projects, characterize Rotary worldwide. Rotarians' projects focus on health and hunger, literacy, clean water and the environment, and the eradication of polio.

The Potsdam Rotary Club was established in 1928. Today it continues a long tradition of performing hands-on service projects and fund-raising for local, regional, and international causes. In short, Rotary is about sharing, serving, and having fun!

The Potsdam Rotary Club meets each Wednesday at noon at Yum Yum's Chilly Delight in Potsdam and online. Guests are welcome.