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{{Short description|American mayor (1931–2014)}}
{{Infobox Politician
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Gordon Faber
| name = Gordon Faber
| image = Gordon Faber at Westside MAX opening 1998.jpg
| image = Gordon Faber at Westside MAX opening 1998.jpg
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| succeeded2 =
| succeeded2 =
| constituency2 =
| constituency2 =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1931}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|04|02|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Pennsylvania]]
| birth_place = [[Greensburg, Pennsylvania]]
| death_date =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|8|18|1931|04|02|mf=yes}}
| death_place =
| death_place = [[Hillsboro, Oregon]]
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| nationality = [[Americans|American]]
| spouse = B. J. Jeddeloh
| spouse = Barbara Loftin (1951–?); Barbara (B. J.) Jeddeloh (1990–2014)
| party =
| party =
| relations =
| relations =
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| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}
'''Gordon Faber''' (born 1931) is a former politician and business owner in the U.S. state of [[Oregon]]. A native of [[Pennsylvania]], he grew up in [[Hillsboro, Oregon]]. He joined the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the [[Korean War]] and was a small business owner before becoming a real estate agent and entering politics. He served on Hillsboro's budget committee and [[city council]] before serving two terms as mayor from 1993 to 2001. The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in the city’s northeast corner is named in his honor.
'''Gordon C. Faber''' (April 2, 1931 – August 18, 2014) was an American politician and businessman in the U.S. state of [[Oregon]]. A native of [[Pennsylvania]], he grew up in [[Hillsboro, Oregon]]. He joined the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the [[Korean War]] and was a small business owner before becoming a real estate agent and entering politics. He served on Hillsboro's budget committee and [[city council]] before serving two terms as mayor from 1993 to 2001. The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in the city's northeast corner is named in his honor.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Gordon Faber was born in 1931 in Pennsylvania to Ben Faber.<ref name=duck/> The family moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, in 1934 where he grew up.<ref name=duck/> As a boy he was a member of the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]], but since Hillsboro did not have a city pool he was unable to earn his [[Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)|swimming merit badge]].<ref name=intel>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Elisa|author2=Don Hamilton|title= Oregon’s Intel chips in |work=The Oregonian |date= July 16, 2000 |page=A1}}</ref> He attended the local schools and graduated from [[Hillsboro High School (Oregon)|Hillsboro High School]] in 1949<ref name=growth>{{cite news|last=Fentress|first=Aaron N.|title= Hillsboro’s mayor says city can handle growth |work=The Oregonian |date= February 9, 1999|page=B2}}</ref> before enrolling at [[Lewis & Clark College]] in neighboring [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]].<ref name=duck/> Farber attended the school for a year and a half and then joined the [[United States Air Force]] when the [[Korean War]] began.<ref name=duck/> In the Air Force he was assigned to the Armed Forces Special Weapons project and spent nearly four years with the unit.<ref name=duck/>
Gordon Faber was born on April 2, 1931,<ref name=paid-obit-oreg>{{cite news|title=Gordon Faber [paid obituary]|url=http://obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?pid=172458129|accessdate=2014-09-30|work=The Oregonian|date=September 9, 2014}}</ref> in [[Greensburg, Pennsylvania]] to Ben Faber.<ref name=duck/> The family moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, in 1934 where he grew up.<ref name=duck/> As a boy he was a member of the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scouts]], but since Hillsboro did not have a city pool he was unable to earn his [[Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)|swimming merit badge]].<ref name=intel>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Elisa|author2=Don Hamilton|title= Oregon's Intel chips in |work=The Oregonian |date= July 16, 2000 |page=A1}}</ref> He attended the local schools and graduated from [[Hillsboro High School (Oregon)|Hillsboro High School]] in 1949<ref name=growth>{{cite news|last=Fentress|first=Aaron N.|title= Hillsboro's mayor says city can handle growth |work=The Oregonian |date= February 9, 1999|page=B2}}</ref> before enrolling at [[Lewis & Clark College]] in neighboring [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]].<ref name=duck/> Faber attended the school for a year and a half and then joined the [[United States Air Force]] when the [[Korean War]] began.<ref name=duck/> In the Air Force he was assigned to the Armed Forces Special Weapons project and spent nearly four years with the unit.<ref name=duck/> He married Barbara Loftin in 1951,<ref name=1951marriage>{{cite news|title= Faber-Loftin (marriage announcement) |work=The Sunday Oregonian |date= June 17, 1951 |at=Section 3, page 6}}</ref> and in time the couple had three children (Mark, Rod, and Bob).<ref name=duck/>


Following his military service he returned to Oregon and college.<ref name=duck/> Faber entered [[Willamette University]] in [[Salem, Oregon|Salem]] where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1956.<ref name=duck/> He then returned to Hillsboro and worked for his father in the family’s plumbing and electrical business that included a retail appliance store.<ref name=duck/><ref name=face>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= Hillsboro mayor faces competition for position |work=The Oregonian |date= August 21, 1996 |page=C2}}</ref> Later he bought out his brother and then father from the business, but sold it in 1985.<ref name=duck/><ref name=face/> Faber then worked as a car salesman before entering the real estate field as a sales agent for Barbara Sue Seal Properties.<ref name=duck/> He was also a member of Hillsboro’s [[Rotary International]] club, including serving as president from 1984 to 1985.<ref>[http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxProgramHome/programhome.aspx?cid=2763&pid=21569 Past Club Presidents.] Hillsboro Rotary Club. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>
Following his military service he returned to Oregon and college.<ref name=duck/> Faber entered [[Willamette University]] in [[Salem, Oregon|Salem]], where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1956.<ref name=duck/> He then returned to Hillsboro and worked for his father in the family's plumbing and electrical business that included a retail appliance store.<ref name=duck/><ref name=face>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= Hillsboro mayor faces competition for position |work=The Oregonian |date= August 21, 1996 |page=C2}}</ref> Later he bought out his brother and then father from the business, but sold it in 1985.<ref name=duck/><ref name=face/> Faber then worked as a car salesman before entering the real estate field as a sales agent for Barbara Sue Seal Properties.<ref name=duck/> He was also a member of Hillsboro's [[Rotary International]] club, including serving as president from 1984 to 1985.<ref>[http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxProgramHome/programhome.aspx?cid=2763&pid=21569 Past Club Presidents.] Hillsboro Rotary Club. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>


==Political career==
==Political career==
Faber’s political career began when he served on Hillsboro’s budget committee.<ref name=duck/> In 1981, he joined the city council where he served a four-year term ending in 1985 alongside later mayor [[Shirley Huffman]].<ref name=council>[http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/CityCouncil/History/CouncilorHistory.aspx City Council: City Councilor History.] City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref> After a two-year absence he returned for a second four-year term in 1987, followed by another term that would have run until 1995.<ref name=duck/><ref name=council/> In July 1992, Farber announced he would run for mayor of Hillsboro to replace Huffman who could not run again due to term limits.<ref name=race>{{cite news|title=Faber enters race for Hillsboro mayor|work=The Oregonian |date=July 9, 1992|page=D2}}</ref>
Faber's political career began when he served on Hillsboro's budget committee.<ref name=duck/> In 1981, he joined the city council where he served a four-year term ending in 1985 alongside later mayor [[Shirley Huffman]].<ref name=council>[http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/CityCouncil/History/CouncilorHistory.aspx City Council: City Councilor History.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912222327/http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/CityCouncil/History/CouncilorHistory.aspx |date=2011-09-12 }} City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref> After a two-year absence he returned for a second four-year term in 1987, followed by another term that would have run until 1995.<ref name=duck/><ref name=council/> In July 1992, Faber announced he would run for mayor of Hillsboro to replace Huffman, who could not run again due to term limits.<ref name=race>{{cite news|title=Faber enters race for Hillsboro mayor|work=The Oregonian |date=July 9, 1992|page=D2}}</ref>


During the campaign season he openly opposed the [[Oregon Citizens Alliance]]’s [[Oregon Ballot Measure 9 (1992)|ballot measure]] that was seen as anti-gay rights.<ref name=duck/> He ran unopposed and won the election that November, while the ballot measure was defeated.<ref name=duck>{{cite news|last=Potter|first=Connie|title=West Zoner: Hillsboro mayor isn’t one to duck|work=The Oregonian |date= February 11, 1993 |page=1}}</ref> Faber took office in 1993, and left the city council at that time after spending ten years on the council.<ref>[http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/CityCouncil/History/MayorHistory.aspx City Council: Mayor History.] City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>
During the campaign season he openly opposed the [[Oregon Citizens Alliance]]’s [[Oregon Ballot Measure 9 (1992)|ballot measure]] that was seen as anti-gay rights.<ref name=duck/> He ran unopposed and won the election that November, while the ballot measure was defeated.<ref name=duck>{{cite news|last=Potter|first=Connie|title=West Zoner: Hillsboro mayor isn't one to duck|work=The Oregonian |date= February 11, 1993 |page=1}}</ref> Faber took office in 1993, and left the city council at that time after spending ten years on the council.<ref>[http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/CityCouncil/History/MayorHistory.aspx City Council: Mayor History.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925014023/http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/CityCouncil/History/MayorHistory.aspx |date=2009-09-25 }} City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>


===Mayor===
===Mayor===
[[File:MAX in Downtown Hillsboro.JPG|thumb|MAX Light Rail in downtown Hillsboro]]
[[File:MAX in Downtown Hillsboro.JPG|thumb|MAX Light Rail in downtown Hillsboro]]
[[File:Gordon Faber Recreation Complex Hillsboro.JPG|thumb|The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex]]
[[File:Gordon Faber Recreation Complex Hillsboro.JPG|thumb|The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex]]
As mayor in April 1995, he cast the tie-breaking vote that allowed for the construction of an apartment complex in the Jackson School neighborhood that was opposed by the neighborhood, but allowed by the existing zoning of the property.<ref name=apartments>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= Hillsboro approves apartments |work=The Oregonian |date= April 20, 1995 |page=B2}}</ref> Hillsboro mayors do not hold a vote on the city council, but do break ties. Later state legislators Jim Hill and [[Bruce Starr]] also voted in favor of allowing the complex, while later mayor Jerry Willey voted against the complex.<ref name=apartments/> After the vote Faber announced he would not seek a second term as mayor,<ref name=apartments/> but changed his mind and announced he would run for a second term in July 1996.<ref name=again>{{cite news|title= Hillsboro’s mayor ready to run again|work=The Oregonian |date= July 18, 1996 |page=C2}}</ref> He presided over the ribbon cutting at the apartment complex when it opened in August 1996,<ref name=complex>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= West Zoner: Mayor officiates as complex celebrates its grand opening |work=The Oregonian |date= August 29, 1996 |page=1}}</ref> and later called the vote the toughest decision he had to make as mayor.<ref name=development>{{cite news|last=Boone|first=Jerry|title= Development decisions hard for councils|work=The Oregonian |date= July 10, 2006 |page=B1}}</ref>
As mayor in April 1995, he cast the tie-breaking vote that allowed for the construction of an apartment complex in the Jackson School neighborhood that was opposed by the neighborhood, but allowed by the existing zoning of the property.<ref name=apartments>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= Hillsboro approves apartments |work=The Oregonian |date= April 20, 1995 |page=B2}}</ref> Hillsboro mayors do not hold a vote on the city council, but do break ties. Later state legislators Jim Hill and [[Bruce Starr]] also voted in favor of allowing the complex, while later mayor Jerry Willey voted against the complex.<ref name=apartments/> After the vote Faber announced he would not seek a second term as mayor,<ref name=apartments/> but changed his mind and announced he would run for a second term in July 1996.<ref name=again>{{cite news|title= Hillsboro's mayor ready to run again|work=The Oregonian |date= July 18, 1996 |page=C2}}</ref> He presided over the ribbon cutting at the apartment complex when it opened in August 1996,<ref name=complex>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= West Zoner: Mayor officiates as complex celebrates its grand opening |work=The Oregonian |date= August 29, 1996 |page=1}}</ref> and later called the vote the toughest decision he had to make as mayor.<ref name=development>{{cite news|last=Boone|first=Jerry|title= Development decisions hard for councils|work=The Oregonian |date= July 10, 2006 |page=B1}}</ref>


In the November 1996 election he defeated retired sheet metal worker Gordon B. Sherman, winning 84% of the vote.<ref name=development/><ref name=factor>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= Experience a factor in 3 council races |work=The Oregonian |date= October 18, 1996 |page=D4}}</ref> He advocated for the expansion of the [[urban growth boundary]], including bringing in the South Hillsboro Reserve area.<ref name=factor/> "I view the city as a living, breathing thing. And if it doesn't grow, it dies. I think growth was necessary to keep the town alive and healthy."<ref name=growth/>
In the November 1996 election he defeated retired sheet metal worker Gordon B. Sherman, winning 84% of the vote.<ref name=development/><ref name=factor>{{cite news|last=Colby|first=Richard N.|title= Experience a factor in 3 council races |work=The Oregonian |date= October 18, 1996 |page=D4}}</ref> He advocated for the expansion of the [[urban growth boundary]], including bringing in the South Hillsboro Reserve area.<ref name=factor/> "I view the city as a living, breathing thing. And if it doesn't grow, it dies. I think growth was necessary to keep the town alive and healthy."<ref name=growth/>


Faber worked to defeat a proposal to site a new women’s prison in Hillsboro in 1997. Oregon governor [[John Kitzhaber]] insisted a prison be built in the [[Portland metropolitan area]] in either Hillsboro or at the site of the former [[Dammasch State Hospital]] in [[Wilsonville, Oregon|Wilsonville]].<ref name=prison2>{{cite news|last=Foster|first=J. Todd|title= New prison choice pits Hillsboro, Wilsonville|work=The Oregonian |date= April 13, 1997 |page=D1}}</ref> The Wilsonville location was selected in May 1997,<ref name=prison>{{cite news|last=Bodine|first=Harry|title= Hillsboro prison opponents relieved|work=The Oregonian |date= May 16, 1997 |page=B2}}</ref> though the prison ([[Coffee Creek Correctional Facility]]) was later built north of the former state hospital.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tims |first=Dana |title=Building begins on new prison for women |work=[[The Oregonian]]|date=April 22, 2000}}</ref> Faber joined Kitzhaber on a visit to [[Japan]] in 2000 where Faber visited Hillsboro’s sister city of [[Fukuroi]] as well as the headquarters of many of the Japanese based companies with facilities in Hillsboro.<ref name=japan>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=David R.|title=West Zoner: In Japan, Faber will visit companies sited locally |work=The Oregonian |date= May 18, 2000 |page=1}}</ref>
Faber worked to defeat a proposal to site a new women's prison in Hillsboro in 1997. Oregon governor [[John Kitzhaber]] insisted a prison be built in the [[Portland metropolitan area]] in either Hillsboro or at the site of the former [[Dammasch State Hospital]] in [[Wilsonville, Oregon|Wilsonville]].<ref name=prison2>{{cite news|last=Foster|first=J. Todd|title= New prison choice pits Hillsboro, Wilsonville|work=The Oregonian |date= April 13, 1997 |page=D1}}</ref> The Wilsonville location was selected in May 1997,<ref name=prison>{{cite news|last=Bodine|first=Harry|title= Hillsboro prison opponents relieved|work=The Oregonian |date= May 16, 1997 |page=B2}}</ref> though the prison ([[Coffee Creek Correctional Facility]]) was later built north of the former state hospital.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tims |first=Dana |title=Building begins on new prison for women |work=[[The Oregonian]]|date=April 22, 2000}}</ref> Faber joined Kitzhaber in 2000 on a visit to [[Japan]], where Faber visited Hillsboro's sister city of [[Fukuroi]] as well as the headquarters of many of the Japanese-based companies with facilities in Hillsboro.<ref name=japan>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=David R.|title=West Zoner: In Japan, Faber will visit companies sited locally |work=The Oregonian |date= May 18, 2000 |page=1}}</ref>


On January 2, 2001, he left office and was succeeded by [[Tom Hughes (Oregon politician)|Tom Hughes]].<ref name=booster>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=David R.|title= West Zoner: Faber remains Hillsboro booster as he leaves his post |work=The Oregonian |date= December 21, 2000 |page=1}}</ref> While mayor the city grew from approximately 40,000 residents to 72,630 and became the fifth most populous in the state.<ref name=booster/> During his tenure the [[MAX Light Rail]]’s Blue Line opened to Hillsboro, the city created the Ronler Acres urban renewal district that led to a new campus in the city from [[Intel]] as well as the construction of [[Hillsboro Stadium]], and the Hillsboro 2020 Vision plan was created.<ref name=booster/> The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex includes the stadium, and is named in his honor.
On January 2, 2001, he left office and was succeeded by [[Tom Hughes (Oregon politician)|Tom Hughes]].<ref name=booster>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=David R.|title= West Zoner: Faber remains Hillsboro booster as he leaves his post |work=The Oregonian |date= December 21, 2000 |page=1}}</ref> While Faber was mayor, the city grew from approximately 40,000 residents to 72,630 and became the fifth most populous in the state.<ref name=booster/> During his tenure the [[MAX Light Rail]]’s Blue Line opened to Hillsboro, the city created the Ronler Acres urban renewal district that led to a new campus in the city from [[Intel]] as well as the construction of [[Hillsboro Stadium]], and the Hillsboro 2020 Vision plan was created.<ref name=booster/> The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex includes the stadium, and is named in his honor.


==Later life and family==
==Later life and family==
After leaving office he planned to learn to play a musical instrument, learn to use a computer, and take some college level history classes.<ref name=booster/> Faber suffered a heart attack a few years after leaving office, but survived.<ref>{{cite news|last=Faber |first=Gordon |title=West Zoner: Praising emergency response|work=The Oregonian|date=June 19, 2003|page=11}}</ref> He has grown children from a previous marriage (Mark, Rod, and Bob), and re-married in 1990 to B. J. Jeddeloh.<ref name=duck/> Faber was known for his sense of humor, which included an episode where he carried an axe while wearing an executioner’s hood to the performance review of the city’s manager.<ref name=duck/> A scholarship is given in his name by the Hillsboro Community Foundation for local students pursuing nursing careers.<ref>[http://www.hillsborocommunityfoundation.org/gordonfaber.html Gordon Faber Scholarship.] Hillsboro Community Foundation. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>
After leaving office he planned to learn to play a musical instrument, learn to use a computer, and take some college level history classes.<ref name=booster/> Faber suffered a heart attack a few years after leaving office, but survived.<ref>{{cite news|last=Faber |first=Gordon |title=West Zoner: Praising emergency response|work=The Oregonian|date=June 19, 2003|page=11}}</ref> His marriage to his first wife, Barbara, having ended, Faber remarried in 1990 to B. J. Jeddeloh (also Barbara).<ref name=duck/> Faber was known for his sense of humor, which included an episode where he carried an axe while wearing an executioner's hood to the performance review of the city's manager.<ref name=duck/> A scholarship is given in his name by the Hillsboro Community Foundation for local students pursuing nursing careers.<ref>[http://www.hillsborocommunityfoundation.org/gordonfaber.html Gordon Faber Scholarship.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726151034/http://www.hillsborocommunityfoundation.org/gordonfaber.html |date=2011-07-26 }} Hillsboro Community Foundation. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref> In 2014, he began receiving hospice care at home due to [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hammill|first1=Luke|title=Former Hillsboro Mayor Gordon Faber enters hospice care in his home|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2014/07/former_hillsboro_mayor_gordon.html|accessdate=3 July 2014|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=July 2, 2014}}</ref> Gordon Faber died on August 18, 2014, at home at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|last1=Hammill|first1=Luke|title=Gordon Faber, respected former mayor of Hillsboro, dead at 83|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2014/08/gordon_faber_respected_former.html|accessdate=23 August 2014|work=The Oregonian|date=August 22, 2014}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{reflist|30em}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Faber, Gordon
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American mayor
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1931
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Pennsylvania]]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faber, Gordon}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faber, Gordon}}
⚫
[[Category:1931 births]]
⚫
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Mayors of Hillsboro, Oregon]]
[[Category:Mayors of Hillsboro, Oregon]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Oregon]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Oregon]]
⚫
[[Category:1931 births]]
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Willamette University alumni]]
[[Category:Willamette University alumni]]
[[Category:Lewis & Clark College alumni]]
[[Category:Lewis & Clark College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Greensburg, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Hillsboro City Council members (Oregon)]]
[[Category:Hillsboro City Council members (Oregon)]]
[[Category:United States Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:Respiratory disease deaths in Oregon]]
[[Category:Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Oregon]]
[[Category:21st-century mayors of places in Oregon]]

Latest revision as of 18:09, 11 November 2024

Gordon Faber
Faber in 1998
Mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon
In office
1993–2001
Preceded byShirley Huffman
Succeeded byTom Hughes
Member of the Hillsboro City Council
In office
1981–1985
1987–1993
Personal details
Born(1931-04-02)April 2, 1931
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 18, 2014(2014-08-18) (aged 83)
Hillsboro, Oregon
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Barbara Loftin (1951–?); Barbara (B. J.) Jeddeloh (1990–2014)
Children3
ResidenceHillsboro, Oregon
Alma materWillamette University
Lewis & Clark College
OccupationRetired

Gordon C. Faber (April 2, 1931 – August 18, 2014) was an American politician and businessman in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he grew up in Hillsboro, Oregon. He joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and was a small business owner before becoming a real estate agent and entering politics. He served on Hillsboro's budget committee and city council before serving two terms as mayor from 1993 to 2001. The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in the city's northeast corner is named in his honor.

Early life

[edit]

Gordon Faber was born on April 2, 1931,[1] in Greensburg, Pennsylvania to Ben Faber.[2] The family moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, in 1934 where he grew up.[2] As a boy he was a member of the Boy Scouts, but since Hillsboro did not have a city pool he was unable to earn his swimming merit badge.[3] He attended the local schools and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1949[4] before enrolling at Lewis & Clark College in neighboring Portland.[2] Faber attended the school for a year and a half and then joined the United States Air Force when the Korean War began.[2] In the Air Force he was assigned to the Armed Forces Special Weapons project and spent nearly four years with the unit.[2] He married Barbara Loftin in 1951,[5] and in time the couple had three children (Mark, Rod, and Bob).[2]

Following his military service he returned to Oregon and college.[2] Faber entered Willamette University in Salem, where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1956.[2] He then returned to Hillsboro and worked for his father in the family's plumbing and electrical business that included a retail appliance store.[2][6] Later he bought out his brother and then father from the business, but sold it in 1985.[2][6] Faber then worked as a car salesman before entering the real estate field as a sales agent for Barbara Sue Seal Properties.[2] He was also a member of Hillsboro's Rotary International club, including serving as president from 1984 to 1985.[7]

Political career

[edit]

Faber's political career began when he served on Hillsboro's budget committee.[2] In 1981, he joined the city council where he served a four-year term ending in 1985 alongside later mayor Shirley Huffman.[8] After a two-year absence he returned for a second four-year term in 1987, followed by another term that would have run until 1995.[2][8] In July 1992, Faber announced he would run for mayor of Hillsboro to replace Huffman, who could not run again due to term limits.[9]

During the campaign season he openly opposed the Oregon Citizens Alliance’s ballot measure that was seen as anti-gay rights.[2] He ran unopposed and won the election that November, while the ballot measure was defeated.[2] Faber took office in 1993, and left the city council at that time after spending ten years on the council.[10]

Mayor

[edit]
MAX Light Rail in downtown Hillsboro
The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex

As mayor in April 1995, he cast the tie-breaking vote that allowed for the construction of an apartment complex in the Jackson School neighborhood that was opposed by the neighborhood, but allowed by the existing zoning of the property.[11] Hillsboro mayors do not hold a vote on the city council, but do break ties. Later state legislators Jim Hill and Bruce Starr also voted in favor of allowing the complex, while later mayor Jerry Willey voted against the complex.[11] After the vote Faber announced he would not seek a second term as mayor,[11] but changed his mind and announced he would run for a second term in July 1996.[12] He presided over the ribbon cutting at the apartment complex when it opened in August 1996,[13] and later called the vote the toughest decision he had to make as mayor.[14]

In the November 1996 election he defeated retired sheet metal worker Gordon B. Sherman, winning 84% of the vote.[14][15] He advocated for the expansion of the urban growth boundary, including bringing in the South Hillsboro Reserve area.[15] "I view the city as a living, breathing thing. And if it doesn't grow, it dies. I think growth was necessary to keep the town alive and healthy."[4]

Faber worked to defeat a proposal to site a new women's prison in Hillsboro in 1997. Oregon governor John Kitzhaber insisted a prison be built in the Portland metropolitan area in either Hillsboro or at the site of the former Dammasch State Hospital in Wilsonville.[16] The Wilsonville location was selected in May 1997,[17] though the prison (Coffee Creek Correctional Facility) was later built north of the former state hospital.[18] Faber joined Kitzhaber in 2000 on a visit to Japan, where Faber visited Hillsboro's sister city of Fukuroi as well as the headquarters of many of the Japanese-based companies with facilities in Hillsboro.[19]

On January 2, 2001, he left office and was succeeded by Tom Hughes.[20] While Faber was mayor, the city grew from approximately 40,000 residents to 72,630 and became the fifth most populous in the state.[20] During his tenure the MAX Light Rail’s Blue Line opened to Hillsboro, the city created the Ronler Acres urban renewal district that led to a new campus in the city from Intel as well as the construction of Hillsboro Stadium, and the Hillsboro 2020 Vision plan was created.[20] The Gordon Faber Recreation Complex includes the stadium, and is named in his honor.

Later life and family

[edit]

After leaving office he planned to learn to play a musical instrument, learn to use a computer, and take some college level history classes.[20] Faber suffered a heart attack a few years after leaving office, but survived.[21] His marriage to his first wife, Barbara, having ended, Faber remarried in 1990 to B. J. Jeddeloh (also Barbara).[2] Faber was known for his sense of humor, which included an episode where he carried an axe while wearing an executioner's hood to the performance review of the city's manager.[2] A scholarship is given in his name by the Hillsboro Community Foundation for local students pursuing nursing careers.[22] In 2014, he began receiving hospice care at home due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[23] Gordon Faber died on August 18, 2014, at home at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[24]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Gordon Faber [paid obituary]". The Oregonian. September 9, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Potter, Connie (February 11, 1993). "West Zoner: Hillsboro mayor isn't one to duck". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  3. ^ Williams, Elisa; Don Hamilton (July 16, 2000). "Oregon's Intel chips in". The Oregonian. p. A1.
  4. ^ a b Fentress, Aaron N. (February 9, 1999). "Hillsboro's mayor says city can handle growth". The Oregonian. p. B2.
  5. ^ "Faber-Loftin (marriage announcement)". The Sunday Oregonian. June 17, 1951. Section 3, page 6.
  6. ^ a b Colby, Richard N. (August 21, 1996). "Hillsboro mayor faces competition for position". The Oregonian. p. C2.
  7. ^ Past Club Presidents. Hillsboro Rotary Club. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
  8. ^ a b City Council: City Councilor History. Archived 2011-09-12 at the Wayback Machine City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
  9. ^ "Faber enters race for Hillsboro mayor". The Oregonian. July 9, 1992. p. D2.
  10. ^ City Council: Mayor History. Archived 2009-09-25 at the Wayback Machine City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c Colby, Richard N. (April 20, 1995). "Hillsboro approves apartments". The Oregonian. p. B2.
  12. ^ "Hillsboro's mayor ready to run again". The Oregonian. July 18, 1996. p. C2.
  13. ^ Colby, Richard N. (August 29, 1996). "West Zoner: Mayor officiates as complex celebrates its grand opening". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  14. ^ a b Boone, Jerry (July 10, 2006). "Development decisions hard for councils". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  15. ^ a b Colby, Richard N. (October 18, 1996). "Experience a factor in 3 council races". The Oregonian. p. D4.
  16. ^ Foster, J. Todd (April 13, 1997). "New prison choice pits Hillsboro, Wilsonville". The Oregonian. p. D1.
  17. ^ Bodine, Harry (May 16, 1997). "Hillsboro prison opponents relieved". The Oregonian. p. B2.
  18. ^ Tims, Dana (April 22, 2000). "Building begins on new prison for women". The Oregonian.
  19. ^ Anderson, David R. (May 18, 2000). "West Zoner: In Japan, Faber will visit companies sited locally". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  20. ^ a b c d Anderson, David R. (December 21, 2000). "West Zoner: Faber remains Hillsboro booster as he leaves his post". The Oregonian. p. 1.
  21. ^ Faber, Gordon (June 19, 2003). "West Zoner: Praising emergency response". The Oregonian. p. 11.
  22. ^ Gordon Faber Scholarship. Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine Hillsboro Community Foundation. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
  23. ^ Hammill, Luke (July 2, 2014). "Former Hillsboro Mayor Gordon Faber enters hospice care in his home". The Oregonian. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  24. ^ Hammill, Luke (August 22, 2014). "Gordon Faber, respected former mayor of Hillsboro, dead at 83". The Oregonian. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
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