Gordon W. Gade

Gordon Gade was born and raised in a rural farming community near Reedsburg, WI. He graduated from high school in 1953 and began working immediately to save money for college. He worked as a lab technician at Badger Ordnance Works in Sauk County. He worked as many hours as he could at Badger and was able to enroll at La Crosse in 1954. He continued to work his way through college majoring in Economics. Gordon intended to transfer to Madison after two years, but finished college in La Crosse and graduated in 1958.

The draft was in existence during his college years, but he received a deferment until after graduation in ‘58. He completed basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and attended electronics school in New Jersey. He was attached to the US Air Force in Germany.

Upon his return from Germany, he interviewed for positions all over the Midwest. He secured a position with Trane in La Crosse where he worked for 13 years before transferring to Trane’s Lexington, KY, division where he worked for an additional 25 years. He held management positions related to materials and production control.

His wife, Barbara, was from the La Crosse area. She was a graduate of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, with a degree in Dental Hygiene. She taught at the University of Kentucky. Barbara passed away in 2007.

Gordon and Barbara retired to Punta Gorda, FL, in 1998. Gordon returns to La Crosse every summer.