Carlton Gordon just never gave up

August 12, 2024 Andy Furman

Carlton Gordon, basketball star, school principal and now community volunteer. Courtesy of Carlton Gordon

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Carlton Gordon just never gave up. “When you believe in something,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle, “Achieve it.”

He did, and he’s still doing it. But it was not easy.

The kid from Coney Island — he is 72 now — was a skilled basketball player at Lafayette High. In fact, he was tri-captain in ’71, his senior year, when the then-Frenchies were Public School Athletic League (PSAL) division champions.

Those were the fun times, the easy times. The road for Gordon would get tougher and much longer.

But he stayed on course — even if he did stray from his love, basketball.

“The University of Rochester was interested in me, my senior year,” he said, “But, my grades weren’t.”

First stop was Wooster Academy in Massachusetts, one year for improving grades.
Next stop was Niagara University. “Frank Layden was head coach,” Gordon remembered, “and their star was Andy Walker from Long Island City High School.”

No varsity for Gordon, but as a freshman walk-on he averaged 22 points a game. He spent two years at Niagara, and finally those grades were good enough to enter the University of Rochester.

“What I realized,” he said, “was that Rochester was the best place for me — and not necessarily for basketball. I finally understood what was important to me.”

It was not basketball at all — Carlton Gordon found his calling.

“Actually, my career highlight came in a loss against Harvard,” he said. “Harvard coach Tom (Satch) Sanders came over to me after the loss and said, ‘You did a nice job.’”

He did a better job off the court.

Gordon served as president of the Black Student Union at the school; served as an RA, and, yes, was a member of Rochester’s Academic Honor Society. “We would meet at the university president’s home once a month and talk about happenings on campus. It was incredible.”

What was incredible was the transformation he made from basketball to academics.

Think about it — Gordon was ranked 966 out of 1,000 graduating students academically as a senior at Lafayette High School. College was really a distant dream.

It may have been basketball that turned the key, but it was Gordon’s understanding what truly was important to him — academics and studies.

“I was a sociology major in college, with the hopes of being a social worker,” he said. He and his wife — they were high school sweethearts — wanted to do a tag team in social work.

Again, another detour. “I worked at Travelers Insurance after I graduated the University of Rochester in ’76,” he said. “I was transferred to their Los Angeles office the last few years.”

And maybe, just maybe, not working was the best thing for Carlton Gordon. “I became a stay-at-home dad,” he said. “And then a community school board member.”

Unusual. perhaps, but he says he wanted to become an “involved parent.” He did, and it was in Brooklyn’s District 13 — Downtown, Brooklyn Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill and Ft. Greene.

Involved — he was more than involved. He met Superintendent Dr. Lester Young, and that is where his career took shape.

“Dr. Young was responsible for my becoming a school principal.”

Yup, you heard it correctly. Carlton Gordon, who had to knock on the door to get admitted to the University of Rochester, became a school principal.

“Fordham University started a master’s degree program,” Gordon recalled, “And Dr. Young recommenced me.”

The program, New Leaders for New Schools, was geared for aspiring principals. “I was in the program with 20 educators with more expertise than me, and I did well enough to impress,” he said.

He certainly did. The program was intended for 1,000 students, and only 31 from New York, Chicago and California were selected. Gordon was one of them.

Brooklyn’s George Gershwin Junior High School in East New York was the first destination for the then-40-year-old rookie principal — with, as he says, just two minutes of experience.

“I never missed a day of work,” he said, “My presence was needed.” His presence there was just eight months, and then it was I.S. 59 in Springfield Gardens, Queens.

He spent 14 years as the boss at that school and retired in 2018.

Carlton Gordon climbed the mountain and reached the pinnacle — but he has not stopped.

“I do volunteer work,” says the Downtown Brooklyn resident, “It’s Legal Outreach.”

And why wouldn’t he? Everyone needs to hear his remarkable climb to the top.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at [email protected] Twitter @AndyFurmanFSR