Gordon Granquist Bechtel

Gordon Granquist Bechtel--“Gordy”--was born March 29, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Cleveland Heights. His mother, the daughter of Swedish immigrants, was from Kewanee, Illinois. His
father, of German descent from Reading Pennsylvania, worked as an engineer for the Bell Telephone Company. Due to his father’s stable employment, Gordon’s family remained economically secure during the depression era. After graduating Cleveland Heights High School Gordon attended Bucknell University, his father’s alma mater. Upon graduating he went on to teach junior high school. His gift for teaching became apparent early on as his students successfully appealed for his army draft date to be postponed so that he could finish out the school year. Gordon served in the US Army in Augusta, Georgia, where he ran teacher trainings or, in his words, “taught teachers how to teach.” He was also involved in theatre productions and took breaks with his buddies to drive down the then empty Florida A1A route to enjoy comedy clubs in Miami.


After leaving the Army with the GI bill Gordon headed west to Palo Alto, California, where he attended Stanford University, earning a Master’s degree in Education. He continued on to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to pursue a PhD in the newly blooming field of Psychology under the direction of Clyde Coombs. Here he was warmly welcomed into the inquisitive culture of learning that Clyde provided for his students as they were guided in the use of mathematics to reveal information embedded in data.


One night, by a punch bowl at a graduate student gathering, Gordon met Maria Cohn and it was love at first sight. They were married on August 20th of 1960 and moved to Toronto, Canada, where Gordon held a faculty position at the University of Toronto. Several years later Gordon was offered a position at the newly formed Oregon Research Institute (ORI) in Eugene, Oregon. He remained based in Eugene until 1974. During that time he worked for one year (1968/1969) at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. He spent a sabbatical year (1971/1972) with his family in the Netherlands as one of the founding group of fellows at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS). In 1974 Gordon joined the faculty in the Marketing Department of the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he remained.


Gordon’s research involved developing new methods for understanding survey results and gleaning accurate assessments of public perception from large data sets. He believed that an accurate understanding of public opinion was essential to inform policy making, promote democracy, and improve our world. He applied and developed methodology that included analysis of variance, pairwise comparisons, multidimensional preference scaling and distribution-free regression.
In his later work he had a particular interest in the economic factors that influence a country’s income-inequality, in particular the GDP. He published and wrote until the very end of his life.


Gordon, who would jokingly refer to himself as “master of the obvious,” was a gifted teacher and passionate researcher. He was rigorous and clear in his teaching and in his own grappling with
mathematical concepts. Although he thrived on immersing himself for hours in his equations, he was very sociable and caring. He enjoyed many types of interactions and connections with those from all walks of life. Gordon was a loving and engaged father and grandfather who enthusiastically attended his grandkids’ performances and sports events. He passed peacefully with his family around him. He will be remembered and missed by so many.

He is survived by his son Timothy; his daughter Bethany and her partner Joon; and 3 grandchildren; Nuriya, Nuriya’s husband Kaveh, Rhea, and Aryil.

In lieu of Flowers the family has provided Three Local Charities for
you to Donate to in Honor of Gordon Bechtel’s Memory.

Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 County Road 234, Gainesville FL 32641
Tel: 1-352-336-5910
Web:http://www.prairiecreek.com

Bread of the Mighty a Branch of Feeding Northeast Florida
325 NW 10th Avenue, Gainesville FL 32601
Tel: 1-352-336-0839
Web: http://www.breadofthemighty.org

Haven Hospice (E.T. York Care Center)
4200 NW 90th Blvd., Gainesville FL 32606
Tel: 1-352-378-2121
Web: http://www.beyourhaven.org

“Letter to Dad”

It’s hard for me to really start to sum up the life we had together Dad.  Because it was so eventful.  All the ups and downs.  Always remember the jokes we shared in recent years regarding politicians and geo politics.  Especially about the one who always “believed”.  And how we always used to say “believing is what you do in church on Sunday”, or as my Grandfather would say “Glauben ist was Mann tut wann  Mann Sonntags in die Kirche geht”.  But I feel sometimes I may have taught you the importance of belief or rather faith.  The way you saw me doing my Budhist prayer before work in my apartment in Frankfurt and you saying it sounded just like Tina Turner when you saw her on 60 Minutes.  This time right now when we must say goodbye always comes.  Not only within this existence, but when we depart for our next.  This is what you’ve done now Dad.  Me, Beth, and all the family would have loved to have had you longer in this lifetime, but it was time for your next mission.  Just like it will be for all of us one day.  Nichiren and Shakyamuni taught that one can never escape the cycle of birth, aging and death.  You can only enlighten this cycle and bring as much joy to it as you can.  You certainly did this Dad.  All your jokes and imitations of Jack Nicholson as well as inadvertently burning Sacher Tortes and other things.  And the social research you did, the articles you wrote that will be there for posterity to read and learn from.  And as one of our mutual heroes Yasir Arafat would say “Not to forget” the students that you taught.  I told you recently after my mentor in faith Daisaku Ikeda, who was born the same year as you and remembered Pearl Harbor from the other side and with the same appehensive feelings,  passed away how his wife said to him “you gave it your all” .  I want to say the same thing to you too Dad.  You were a great teacher to me, even when I decided to go my own way with things.  The Karmic bonds I share with you and Mom means we will always be together.  I love you Dad, and wish you all the best.  Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.   

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