Baldwin High hallway to bear the name of beloved custodian

Published 10:16 am Friday, August 12, 2022

A Baldwin High hallway will soon bear the name of a beloved member of the Baldwin School District family.

“You would have thought he was the principal,” said Baldwin County Board of Education member Shannon Hill, a former student of the school system, about the legacy of a beloved custodian, the late Lessie Lee “LC” Gordon.

Gordon, according to Hill, was as adept at catching a student saying something inappropriate as any administrator. She was quite emotional during her description of “LC” during Tuesday’s board of education meeting, when she made the motion to name a hallway at Baldwin High from the media center to the cafeteria in his honor.

The motion for the man who “loved Baldwin High School” passed.

This honor was months in the making, according to Superintendent Dr. Noris Price. “LC” served the school system, even through some ‘retirements,’ for a four-decade span from January 1981 to September 2021.

Larry Stephens, Baldwin High inclusion teacher in the English Department and AP psychology teacher, addressed the board on behalf of “LC,” thanking them for considering this honor. He knew about “LC” when his own children were attending high school.

“We felt it was so important that he receive this honor,” said Stephens. “(Principal) Mr. (Jason) Flanders and I were talking about the countless number of children who have gotten to know him, and he cared for every one of us. The children knew him as Mr. LC. They loved him … always have a talk with him.”

“LC” went from serving at Baldwin High to the board of education district office. He was even bestowed the honor of Grand Marshal for a school parade.

“He prided himself on cleaning the low ground and the high ground,” said Stephens. “Dedicated to professionalism and integrity. He was always dependable and caring about the quality of work and the perfection of his skills.

“His children stated that he was a kind, loving, hard-working family man others respected. He was noted to have a special inner grace and charm.”

The proposal is to have a plaque above the display case outside the school library in the hall leading to the cafeteria. It will have his full name, the beginning and ending service dates and an inscription.

“So many of the teachers who teach at Baldwin High School who are also graduates of Baldwin High School, he was there,” said Stephens. “They remember him. He remembered my daughter who taught there for almost two years. She took dance across the street from where he lived. After she got to the high school … she finally went up and introduced herself. ‘I thought I remembered you little girl when you were over at the dance studio at Georgia College.’ He never forget the children who passed through those hallways.”

Dr. Price remembered how “LC” enjoyed working those last years at the board office.

“He loved cleaning my office,” she said. “It was a big deal to him. I so enjoyed him. He didn’t have to take care of me, but that’s what he believed in.”

Twenty members of Gordon’s family were on hand Tuesday for the board’s vote.