Frederick Gordon Stacey

Mr. Frederick Gordon Stacey was born in Shoreham, U.K. in 1906 and his family emigrated to Vancouver, B.C. when he was 5 years old.

Gordon grew up at Kitsilano Beach, where he developed a lifelong passion for swimming and sailing. He graduated from high school and during the 1920’s and 1930’s mined for gold in the B.C. interior and crewed on a sailboat being delivered, in 1935, from Vancouver to San Diego.

The boat, named Mavourneen, had been built by Boeing Aircraft Canada for the well-known Hollywood Director, John Farrow, who married actress Maureen O’Sullivan of the Tarzan movies fame the next year. Gordon kept a detailed diary during the voyage and wrote of meeting the couple at the end of the trip.

Mavourneen leaving the port of Vancouver BC in 1935

He enlisted in the the Royal Canadian Navy in W.W.2, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in charge of the Shore Patrol in the port of St. John, N.B. After the war ended, Gordon secured personnel work with U.S. Standard Oil subsidiaries in Peru and Columbia, first taking a crash course in Spanish in New York City.

Along with his wife Dorothy and young family, he worked in South America until he was hired as the Industrial Relations Supervisor with Studebaker Canada. He was among those that were involved in the signing of the first collective agreement with the UAW (CAW) Local 525 in February, 1952. He particularly enjoyed the close family atmosphere among employees there, including the annual picnics. Among his colleagues, Gordon was known for his dry humour and sharp wit. At the time the plant closed in 1966, he was Director of Industrial Relations and was one of the last employees to vacate the building, staying on to settle outstanding labour relations issues.

There was always a Studebaker in the driveway, to be washed in a weekly ritual. His hobbies included non-stop work on the house and garden in Ancaster, Ontario. Family summer vacations were annual road trips across Canada and the eastern United States, always in a Studebaker.

On one notable trip across Canada, a new Lark he was delivering to a Vancouver dealer was rear ended and badly damaged. The vacation plans now included a week-long stay in Northern Ontario while the car was repaired.

Gordon’s favourite Studebaker – 1963 Daytona Hardtop

Following his 14 years at Studebaker he worked in Cambridge, Ontario at the Franklin Manufacturing Company. He finished his long career in industrial and personnel relations in 1971 with Allen Industries in Stoney Creek, Ontario. There he ended up working with many former Studebaker employees and the same UAW (CAW) Local. Gordon was named as a lifetime member of the Hamilton Personnel Association in recognition of his contributions. After his retirement, he did mediation and adjudication work with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

Alan Stacey

Mr. Frederick Gordon Stacey was honoured in 2016 for his diligence and hardwork by being added to the list of honourees on the Studebaker of Canada Plaque being held at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana