CENTRE ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR FOR 2000
S. GORDON DABNEY
Centre College is in the business of preparing young men and women for lives of uncommon achievement in work and service. The College seeks, therefore, to surround itself with people whose lives demonstrate a commitment to leaving the world a better place than they found it. Some achieve this purpose in their professional lives, others in their volunteer activities, and a few achieve distinction in both. S. Gordon Dabney, Centre Associate of the Year for 2000, is among those few – a man of uncommon achievement in business and in volunteerism.
Born in Louisville, Gordon graduated from Louisville Male High School and attended the University of Florida. He served in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1952 and in 1954 was employed by Standard Foods, Inc., where he subsequently served as president from 1956 until the company was sold in 1995. He also served as president of Blatz Paint Company from 1959 to 1976.
Gordon’s distinguished career as an outstanding civic and business leader includes serving on Centre’s Board of Trustees for nearly three decades, helping guide and manage the College’s endowment investments. He has also served as vice president and treasurer of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce, as president of the Frazier Rehabilitation Center, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way, Kentucky Country Day School, Filson Historical Society, and the American Red Cross. He was also president of Louisville Paint and Coatings Association and a director of the Commonwealth Life Insurance Company, Belknap Hardware Company, First Kentucky National (National City Bank of Kentucky), Falls City Industries, and LG&E Corporation.
Gordon’s retirement in 1995 became a springboard for even more service to his community and to Kentucky. He has generously put his extraordinary business acumen to work for nonprofit organizations, helping them manage their finances more skillfully. Along with his service on Centre’s board, he is a trustee of Second Presbyterian Church, the Nature Conservancy of Kentucky, and the Governor’s Scholars Program. In addition, he serves on the board of the Louisville Community Foundation, Cave Hill Cemetery Company and Cave Hill Investment Company, American Printing House for the Blind, and The Speed Art Museum.
Gordon and his wife, Pat, live in Louisville. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
