On Friday, Oct. 16, a memorial service was held for Judge Marcus J. Gordon and Polly Gordon at Union First Baptist Church.
Polly Matthews Gordon, wife of the late Judge Gordon, died in May 2020; in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, an official funeral was not able to happen immediately following her death.
Mrs. Gordon was nothing short of a revered woman in Union and the surrounding area. A native of Neshoba County, Mrs. Gordon received an Associate of Arts degree at East Central Community College. She later went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Business from Mississippi College.
After marrying Judge Gordon, she began her teaching career; which later led her to get a Master’s degree in Business Education at Ole Miss. Once she received this degree, Mrs. Gordon accepted a business education teacher position in Union.
Having accumulated three degrees already, Mrs. Gordon didn’t stop there. She went on to complete the requirements needed to become a Specialist in Education from Mississippi State University. Rounding out her long list of academic accolades, Mrs. Gordon went on to complete the coursework that would be needed to receive a doctorate in education.
During here time spent pursuing additional academic degrees, Mrs. Gordon began working as the guidance counselor at Union High School in 1967. At her time of retirement in 2009, she held the title as the educator with the longest time spent working in the Union school district.
Mrs. Gordon’s impact on the students during her time at Union High school was evident throughout the memorial service. Union City Schools Superintendent Dr. Tyler Hansford was one of the speakers to recall the influence she had on his life. Hansford attributes much of his success in his career path to Mrs. Gordon.
“She really invested in people,” Hansford said. “She would always do anything for anybody.”
The second half of the memorial was spent celebrating the life of Judge Marcus J. Gordon.
Judge Gordon died in May 2016, three months after his retirement from the from the Eighth District Circuit Court of Leake, Neshoba, Newton and Scott counties.
Due to the 37 years he spent as the circuit judge for the Eighth Judicial District, Judge Gordon held the title of the longest serving circuit judge in the state of Mississippi.
Over his years spent serving as a circuit judge, the Mississippi Burning trial was one of the most notable cases Judge Gordon presided over. The murders of three members of the Congress of Racial Equality in 1964 led to the arrest of 19 suspected members of the Ku Klux Klan. However, none of them were arrested on murder charges; only on conspiring to deprive the three men of their civil rights.
With only seven of the 19 accused, Edgar Ray Killen was released due to one of the jurors on the original case being unable to give a guilty verdict to a Baptist preacher.
Killen was one of the major conspirators and suspected KKK leader.
However, in 2005, Killen was brought back to trial for the murders of the three civil rights workers. Once convicted, Judge Gordon gave Killen the maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
Judge Gordon was praised for unbiased stance and ruling during the trial.
One of the speakers at the memorial who spoke on Judge Gordon’s expansive career was Law Clerk Melissa Thrash Carleton. Carleton worked under Judge Gordon and spoke about the role he had on her career.
Carleton went on to speak about some of the advice Judge Gordon gave her: “Melissa, what’s legal isn’t always rights, and what’s right isn’t always legal.”
Once the memorial concluded, the “Judge Marcus J. Gordon Memorial Highway” sign was unveiled. Sen. Tyler McCaughn and Rep. Randy Rushing are responsible for getting a part of Hwy. 15 named in memorial of Judge Gordon.
