It is with deepest sadness that I have to report the demise of Gordon Palmer, life member of NSHSA and captain of the Windependent today, 10/9/07. To those of you who may not as yet have known Gordon well, permit me a bit of history.  To those of you who did, let’s fondly remember.

Gordon, and his beloved Jo Ann, were among the first of the group to start NSHSA and to nurture it through its infancy.  For a decade or more Gordon was unanimously elected and reelected as Sail Fleet Captain.  There are a few among us, perhaps more than a few, who consider ourselves above-average sailors; yet not one of us wouldn’t sit at the feet of this great man to learn how to really sail.

We call our annual race championship the “Clean Your Clock” race.  No one cleaned more clocks than Gordon.  Upon winning the club championship, as he did annually aboard his Hunter 34 Rapid Transit, Gordon would face the champion of the larger HSA club.  He was, of course, undefeated; to the point that HSA opted out of the annual race.

In honor of Gordon, I propose that we pow-wow with the Southern Club to re-inaugurate the race, giving the annual winner the Palmer Trophy.

Gordon died today as a result of an accident upon his mountain bike.  He was 69 years old going on 16.  No one combined the wisdom of age with the enthusiasm of youth better than he.

But he was more, much more, than a sailor.  To say he was a friend to all who knew him would be doing him a disservice.  Rigging not right - engine not up to snuff – refrigeration not refrigerating?  Ask Gordon.  He not only diagnosed it correctly, he helped you fix it; but really, in truth, you helped him fix it.

The internment will be a private, family only, service.  Please, no flowers or phone calls or e-mails.  The loss of the love of your life is an extremely private affair and Jo Ann wishes it to remain so.  However, I urge all of you to send your cards and letters of condolence to her.  They will, in time, be most supportive.

Wishing all of you.

As sweet a life as his:

John Molnar

penury’s prize

Gordon Francis Palmer of Fallston died October 9 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. He was 69.

Born in Bel Air, Maryland, he was the son of the late Dr. Gerald C. Palmer and the late Ruth Jones Palmer, and was the husband of Jo Ann Bishop Palmer.

Mr. Palmer attended Bel Air High School, Johns Hopkins University, and Hillsdale College. He retired in 1998 as the president of Go-Jo Enterprises, Inc. Early in his working career he worked under Dr. R. Adams Cowley at the University of Maryland performing experiments in hemorrhagic shock. While working at the University he was photographed by the world renowned photojournalist, A. Aubrey Bodine. The photograph of Mr. Palmer working at the hospital was in the magazine section of the Sunday Baltimore Sun. The experiments performed by Mr. Palmer contributed to making the Cowley Shock Trauma Center a reality for Baltimore. He was a member of the Chesapeake Sailing Club, the Baltimore Area Boardsailing Club, and was a life member of The Northern Star Hunter Sailing Association, and was a past Sail Fleet Captain of the club. He was also a member of the Harford Ski Club. After retiring he took up the sport of mountain biking and became very proficient in tackling technical biking trails. While his wife worked as a volunteer at the White House, he would frequently bike at the local D.C. and Virginia parks, often biking more than 50 miles at a time. He would also mountain bike several times a week in the greater metropolitan Baltimore area, Pennsylvania, and Western Maryland. He was a life-long yachtsman, and he and his wife sailed their boat WINDEPENDENT all around the Chesapeake Bay area, up and down the East Coast, and to the Keys and the Bahamas. The Palmers chartered yachts for vacations in Belize, Baja, the Grenadines, and in many other areas. They also traveled extensively on the continent, and to many foreign locations. They took cruise ships to many Caribbean ports, cruised on a paddlewheel exploring the Mississippi River, and also on a sea and land tour of Alaska. He was an avid and skilled sailor and racer which earned him many awards and trophies over the years. Among his many trophies was a cup in his division from the prestigious Governor’s Cup Yacht Race from Annapolis to St. Mary's City.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Palmer is survived by two daughters, Cheryl Marie Dugan of Rumsey Island, and Aymalee Alayne Faust of Jarrettsville; Three sisters, Geraldine Kapur of Mercer Island, Washington, Jane Rosenman of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Josephine Bodt of Churchville. Arrangements were private. Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to: Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, P.O. Box 169 - Queenstown, Maryland 21658