Nahida was the youngest of four children and the daughter of Assad and Foutounie Halaby. She was born in Jerusalem in 1939. She grew up in Jaffa, Palestine where she attended school until 1948.
“In 1948, we were living in the city of Jaffa. Our house was near the waterfront a few hundred yards from the lighthouse. Its sweeping light kept me company at night when I was falling asleep. Into my memory creeps the tension amongst the adults and the visitors to my parents. At night we fell asleep to the sound of bombs. These bombs were being dropped on the civilian areas of Jaffa. One night the church across the street was bombed and lost its roof. My father was wounded in one such air raid. Armored cars equipped with machine guns would come to the top of our street and shower the street with a hail of bullets. Because of this violence, we were never allowed outside our house unless adults escorted us. I was always driven to school, which was a short two blocks away from home.” (Excerpt from interview with Nahida.)
Nahida was only 8 years old when she and her family were forced to leave their home for their safety. This was a deeply painful and life-changing event that instilled in her a life-long purpose of advocacy for Palestine and Palestinians. They first moved to Lebanon—then immigrated to the United States, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Donald, the oldest of three, son of Clyde and Edith Gordon, was born and raised in Cincinnati where he attended Hughes High School and the University of Cincinnati. His family has deep roots in Ohio with many generations attending and graduating from the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University, including his mother and father. His father, a horticulturist, was Superintendent of Spring Grove Cemetery, the fourth largest cemetery in the country. Donald spent his younger years growing up on the 733 acre property.
Nahida met Donald at the University of Cincinnati when he attended a lecture she gave on Palestine. Their first date was to the orchestra where Donald was often an usher. From the very start, they had an intellectual connection. They enjoyed talking about anything and everything and would tell how, when out with friends, they would disappear into conversation, losing sight of the rest of the group. They graduated from the University of Cincinnati, Donald with a B.S. in Botany and Nahida, a B.S. in Math with a minor in Physics.
Married in 1961, they then attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where Nahida obtained a M.S. in Mathematics and Donald a Ph.D. in Virology, specializing in maize. After graduation, when Donald received a job at the OARDC (Ohio Agricultural & Research Development Center), they moved to Wooster where they started and raised their family and lived for the next 55+ years. Once the children were in school, Nahida got her Ph.D. in Statistics from Case Western Reserve. They had a shared love of classical music, world affairs and a dedication to their faith, church community and family. Most important was raising their three children, Mark, Jean & John. Facing many challenges in life, they met them head on with compassion, grace, and humility.
Dr. Nahida Gordon was an accomplished writer, having authored and co-authored over 100 technical papers on biostatistics. She retired as Professor Emerita at Case Western Reserve after working there for over 30 years. She wrote a book, “Palestine is Our Home”, on the memories of Palestinians who have suffered loss of home including her own painful experience and led several Westminster travel groups to Palestine. She enjoyed “brain games” and never shied away from a challenging puzzle or a good book.
Dr. Donald Gordon was a Professor Emeritus at the Ohio State University, after working at OARDC for over 37 years in Botany and Plant Pathology, doing research in plant virology and teaching graduate students. As part of his career, he traveled extensively across Africa and to China as part of a scientific team to survey maize viruses and develop cooperative research projects for their control. During the 1970’s and 1980’s Donald led and was the primary spokesperson for the OARDC-USDA/ARS Maize Virus Research Team, a very active interdisciplinary research group.
Donald was an avid biker, even riding a tricycle well into his 80s. He stayed current with the world news and was known for sharing his passion for music with his students by playing a favorite composition and giving the composer’s background before the start of a class.
Donald and Nahida were members of Westminster for over 5 decades. They really enjoyed the ministry of Ray Swartzback and through the years grew very close to the Westminster community. The community embraced learning about the injustices of Palestine and some traveled there to experience and understand the beauty of the land, the people and the oppressiveness of the occupation. The family was touched by how the community lovingly and compassionately visited, prayed, wrote notes and embraced them prior their passing.
Donald and Nahida were incredibly dedicated and purpose-driven individuals. They fearlessly and compassionately fought for a better world. In their passing, we found articles honoring their work for those in need—because it was the right thing to do. This was part of who they were. As their family, we are proud to be raised by such honorable human beings. We miss them every day and are grateful their love and purposeful way of life lives on in each of us.
Nahida wrote in “Excerpts from the Diary of our 2010 Trip”, … I think my house in Yaffa is iconic of my Palestine. The loss of Palestine is represented concretely in the loss of my home. Borrowing a literary convention from Ecclesiastes 3 and leaving out the violence,
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to forgive and a time to love,
a time for justice and a time for peace.May peace with justice and mercy come in my lifetime!
The current genocide in Palestine and Lebanon continues to embolden our family towards steadfastness and resistance until there is freedom and justice for all. We too pray for peace, justice and mercy in our lifetime.
May they rest in peace along with their sons Timothy, Paul and Mark.
Written and shared by Jean and John Gordon
All Saints Day, Sunday, November 3, 2024.
