Ed Royce: “I rise before you today to honor Dr. Milton A. Gordon for his distinguished career. Dr. Gordon has served for over two…”

“I rise before you today to honor Dr. Milton A. Gordon for his distinguished career. Dr. Gordon has served for over two decades as president of California State University, Fullerton. I first met Milt Gordon more than 20 years ago when he was in his first year as president of my alma mater, Cal State Fullerton. As State senator then and a Member of Congress now, I have met countless community leaders, including university presidents, and I have enjoyed a good working relationship with them. Very few, however, have I come to admire and respect more than Milt Gordon. Very few do I call my very good friend. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gordon's impressive achievements and commitment to education were evident long before he became the president of Cal State Fullerton. As our country was undergoing the civil rights movement, Milt Gordon was breaking through longstanding racial barriers. He obtained a bachelor of science in mathematics and secondary education at Xavier University of Louisiana in 1957, a master of arts in mathematics at the University of Detroit in 1960, and lastly, a doctorate degree in mathematics at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1968. These are significant achievements for anyone, but even more so for someone who had to overcome the discrimination of the time. It is this experience that has driven Milt Gordon's lifetime commitment to improving access to education for everyone. In his first convocation address at Cal State Fullerton in 1990, Dr.…”