Gordon Milk, You asked, : )

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In a message dated 9/19/2000 5:10:44 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

bklyn1429@... writes:

<< I was born in1945 and was not breast fed, but I remember my mother telling

methat I needed to be fed " walker gordon " milk (?) I do not know what

that

means ! >>

Well, I am not sure if this will answer your question, but here is what I

found about Gordon Milk.

Roy

-Gordon: one of a kind

For 74 years, Plainsboro farm offered 'world's finest' milk

By Louise Handelman

Princeton Packet Staff Writer

Friday, January 8, 1999

Whenever lin Delano Roosevelt traveled overseas during his

presidency, he insisted on taking one particular item on board ship.

Heavy cream from -Gordon of Plainsboro.

For nearly 75 years, -Gordon Laboratories set the gold-standard for

quality fresh milk production. Under the leadership of Henry Jeffers Sr. —

first resident manager of the Plainsboro headquarters and later president of

the company — -Gordon was a sterling example of the innovative

mentality that characterized America in the first half of the 20th century.

Improvements in the overall health of citizens, advancements in technology

and applications of operational efficiency standards were hallmarks of an era

that believed in the power of progress. They also epitomized the spirit of

-Gordon in its heyday.

And when the last cow was milked in June 1971, -Gordon's decision to

end its dairy production represented yet another historical phase — the

passing of central New Jersey's milk industry.

Now, just over 100 years after -Gordon Laboratories first purchased

acreage in Plainsboro and established its own farms, Tindall and C.

Stanton have written " -Gordon: One of a Kind. "

" No one else had written a book, and we decided it was time — while there

were still people around who had been involved. And we thoroughly enjoyed

doing it, " Mr. said.

The Plainsboro resident and his co-author had been kindergarten classmates

at Plainsboro Elementary School in 1941 and had remained friends. Over lunch

one day, Mr. said, they decided to embark on the project, which he

described as " a labor of love. "

That writing the book was emotionally rewarding was hardly surprising.

According to Mr. , Plainsboro at one time was, in essence, " one big

-Gordon family. "

His own grandfather originally came from a small farm in West Virginia and

eventually became what was known as a cow unit operator at -Gordon.

That was only the beginning. Mr. 's father was a crop farmer for the

company and later took over his grandfather's dairy enterprise; his mother

led guided tours in the observatory; and he and his sister became employees,

as well. " Our whole life revolved around -Gordon, " he said.

What kind of company engendered such loyal ties? As recounted in the book,

-Gordon began in 1891 in Boston, Mass., as a laboratory dedicated to

producing modified milk for infant feeding, a dramatic innovation at the

time. Earlier in the same year, Dr. Rotch, a pediatrician at Harvard

Medical School, had established that careful prescription feeding could

significantly lower infant mortality rates.

Dr. Rotch, along with Gustavus Gordon, a scientist and lay minister,

developed modified cows' milk — reconstituted whole milk with the addition of

sugars and proteins according to a doctor's prescription. The project — which

was conceived as a humanitarian effort — received an infusion of capital when

, a Boston businessman, joined forces. Thus began the first

systematic venture to produce scientifically controlled milk.

What became increasingly apparent was that the quality of the modified

milk was greatly dependent on the standards imposed on the milk used in

production. And the best way to achieve high levels of freshness and

cleanliness was to establish their own carefully regulated farms.

With this objective in mind, -Gordon purchased 140 acres of farmland

in Plainsboro in 1897. One year later, Henry Jeffers Sr., one of the first

graduates of the agricultural school at Cornell University, assumed the

position of resident manager. Under his leadership, -Gordon formed an

agreement with the New York Medical Milk Commission whereby the commission

would regularly test the bacterial levels and fat content of the milk.

Records kept at the time indicate that -Gordon's product far

outstripped competitors in its " guarenteed " quality.

Given the demand for its superior product, -Gordon established

laboratories around United States, Canada and England at the turn of the

century. It also added another farm in Massachusetts.

By 1929, the Plainsboro operation had expanded to 2,300 acres. At this

time, the commission also changed the classification term " guaranteed milk "

to " certified milk, " thus establishing bacterial count limits for raw and

pasteurized milk. Bacterial counts for -Gordon's dairy products were

always far below these stringent standards. Attesting to its stringent

quality control, -Gordon was the only company qualified to sell and

distribute certified raw milk in New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia.

Mr. Jeffers Sr. continued to manage independently the Plainsboro site even

after the Borden Co. invested in -Gordon in 1929, creating the wholly

owned subsidiary, -Gordon Laboratory Co. Inc. When Borden's was forced

to sell its Certified Milk Division in 1944 due to anti-trust laws, the

Jeffers family and an number of associates bought out the Plainsboro

operations. It became the only remaining -Gordon facility. At its

height, the farm measured 2,500 acres, supplying feed for 1,650 milking cows

producing 24,500 quarts of milk a day.

The growing demand for -Gordon's high-quality dairy products is

testimony, in large part, to Mr. Jeffers Sr.'s leadership. In a sense, he was

the Henry Ford of the dairy business.

Tindall, co-author of the book, described him as " having an

incredibly fertile mind. " He also noted that Mr. Jeffers had " the ability to

bring the right people together and to bring an idea to fruition. "

Henry Jeffers III — current president of -Gordon, which now

concentrates on beef production and land development — characterized his

grandfather as an outstanding individual. " He was very creative — in

everything he did, " he said, adding that Mr. Jeffers Sr. remained loyal to

his alma mater, donating his papers to Cornell upon his death.

Mr. Jeffers Sr.'s ground-breaking measures influenced all aspects of the

farm — the daily health of the animals and workers, the introduction of fully

sterilized milking apparatus, and the careful regulation of feed procedures

and feed preparation, producing finer-balanced milk with higher vitamin

content.

Mr. Jeffers Sr. also radically restructured the farm management system,

creating the so-called " Centralized Direction and Decentralized Operation, " a

system that provided cost efficiencies and encouraged entrepreneurial spirit.

Jobs — such as milking, mixing and transporting feed, and processing the milk

— were centralized under foremen who managed hourly workers trained to man

large-scale equipment.