Suzanne Gordon inspires the volunteer spirit

Wimberley is blessed to have many volunteers for the dozens of nonprofits in the valley. Those nonprofits are responsible for helping those individuals in the community that may need a little assistance, at one time or another, or perhaps they take up a particular cause. One person whose name is recognized as being on the boards of different non profits is Suzanne Gordon.

“I grew up in San Antonio, my parents had good friends in New Braunfels. We went there a lot. And they had good friends in Austin. They went there a lot. And then I went to school in Austin”

Her parents got married during World War II, they met in South Carolina, and then her father got stationed in Europe. After the war he got a job in San Antonio and they moved there from South Carolina.

“Jobs were not easy to come by. So they headed out to San Antonio pulling an Airstream. We lived in a trailer park for a couple of years because there was no housing available. They bought a lot and had someone build a house for them. She had two brothers, both deceased, and a sister. They then moved to Alamo Heights.

She graduated high school and then was off to the University of Texas.

“My dad said, you need to get an educated degree in education because when you graduate, you’ll be married and have children. You can always fall back on that teaching,” she said.

She got married and had two children, and got divorced. She got a job at a Galleria area boutique, then a job as a statistician at Uncle Ben’s Rice and was the first employee to go on maternity leave.

Her next job was back in the Galleria area.

“I got into the title insurance business, I like math, and I like numbers, and always did well with them. I had a lot of friends that were in real estate. And that’s the way you get your client base, if you’re doing the residential part. I also ended up with some commercial business too. And some builders.”

She had lived in Houston for almost 50 years.

“It was a great place to move. And a lot of guys had jobs. And back in the 60s, you got married as soon as you got out of school,” Suzanne said.

It was time to retire. Wimberley called.

Her sister and brother-in-law bought property in Wimberley. She thought they had lost their minds until the cedar trees were removed. She then bought property next door and has loved the valley ever since. Now she spends her time volunteering, and the list is a long one: Habitat for Humanity, the Thrift Store, Wimberley Institute of Cultures, the Art League and the Chamber of Commerce.

Now a big part of her life is politics, where in Houston, it meant nothing. Politics on a small town level means everything and she keeps likes to be involved. But volunteering is still at the forefront. Planning events such as the WIC Harvest Moon Ball and other fall activities. Suzanne Gordon, just another Wimberley volunteer, making the valley a better place to love.