Gordon Makinster

This Franklin memory is from Ken Aubin, Class of 1950

I met Gordon Makinster, Franklin Class of 1946, in the waning moments of the Alumni Picnic in 2007. I introduced myself because I was curious to know more about the man who bceame one of the most-respected basketball scorekeepers in the state of Oregon. Gordon and I agreed to meet and our conversation covered a myriad of stories about Southeast Portland, but through it all a picture of Gordon's climb to preeminence in Oregon sporting circles became the main theme.

Gordon's interest in scorekeeping began as a young boy. Playing games with his family, he found he could add and subtract the point scores more quickly than other players. The enjoyment he derived caused him to look for new opportunities in the world of game scoring. In grade school, Gordon followed the Portland Beaver baseball games on radio, listening to Rollie Truitt and Bob Blackburn announce the action. This was his first youthful attempt at scorekeeping the live action of an athletic event. Listening to these broadcasts, or sometimes attending games at the old Beaver ball park on NW 23rd and Vaughn, Gordon home schooled himself in the essentials necessary to be a good scorekeeper.

In his junior year at Franklin, Gordon took his seat at the scorer's table, becoming a fixture in the "old gym". He quickly learned that the upbeat tempo of high school basketball requried greater demands on the scorekeeper. Gordon strongly believed that concentration and accurecy were keys to success in maintaining the intergrity of the game.

After graduating from Franklin, Gordon landed a job with the Oregonian as a copy boy. While working nights for the paper, Gordon attended Lewis and Clark College. He worked regularly at scorekeeping, timing and public address there and at Portland State College. He also became a radio sportscaster for Far West Sports Newwork. After a hitch in the Air Force, Gordon returned to the Oregonian where he was reassigned full time to the Sports department. He returned to school at Lewis and Clark College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism and sociology and a master's degree in education.

For the next 32 years, Gordon was a teacher at Wilson High School. While at Wilson, he also served as the track and field and cross country coach and the assistant athletic director. He also was a scorekeeper, time and public address announcer for the school. Gordon's skill and dedication was rewarded when he was selected by the OSAA to be an official scorer for the Oregon State 4A Boys Basketball Tournament, a position he held for 45 years. But the biggest compliment to his talents came when the newly franchised Portland Trail Blazers made him their official scorekeeper. Gordon worked for the Blazers for 25 years.

Gordon retired from teaching in 1990 and from the OSAA and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1995. He currently lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife Beverly, a Franklin graduate from the class of 1947. Gordon and Beverly both belong to the Franklin High School Alumni Association and have enjoyed attending the annual Alumni Picnic at Oaks Park.

If you have any stories you wish to share about a special Franklin graduate, please post your comments to this blog or email the Franklin High School Alumni Association at franklinalum@hotmail.com