Free Republic

SANTA FE, N.M. – Actor Bruce Gordon, who played a mobster on the television series "The Untouchables" from 1959 to 1963, died at his Santa Fe home. He was 94. Gordon, who had lived in Santa Fe since the 1970s, died Jan. 20, 12 days before his 95th birthday.

NEW YORK --NAACP President Bruce S. Gordon said Sunday he is leaving the civil rights organization after just 19 months at the helm, citing clashes with board members over management style and the organization's mission as the reasons. "I believe that any organization that's going to be effective will only be effective if the board and the CEO are aligned and I don't think we are aligned," Gordon told The Associated Press. "This compromises the ability of the board to be as effective as it can be."

[snip] You're a former executive at Verizon. Would it be fair to describe you as the first president in the 96-year history of the N.A.A.C.P. with no experience in civil rights? No. Not at all. I feel that my civil rights activities have been in the economic arena, where people get jobs. [snip] The last role I had at Verizon was president of the retail-markets group. I also managed corporate advertising and brand management. I spent a lot of my career at Verizon going out and acquiring customers. I think that some of the same marketing techniques I used there...

Next president has business savvy With Bruce S. Gordon's stellar background in corporate America, his installation as executive director of the NAACP at its 96th annual convention in Milwaukee could herald a new beginning for the venerable civil rights organization's relationship with the Bush administration. Or could it prove to be a risky, high-stakes gamble? Delegates will have the final vote on Gordon's appointment as executive director of the nation's oldest civil rights organization when it holds its convention July 9-14 at the Midwest Airlines Convention Center. The vote on his nomination is expected July 14. Gordon already has indicated...