Andrew Card, Former Bush Chief of Staff, Speaks About Faith In Times of Crisis

On Tuesday evening, May 6, the Danversport Yacht Club reception hall nearly exceeded maximum occupancy as members of the extended Gordon community gathered for the second annual Gordon Celebration of Faithful Leadership. The event honors civic leaders who embody wisdom, integrity, a commitment to Christ, a history of serving others and a history of exemplary civic contributions. This year's recipients of the George F. Bennett Leadership Award were members of the Loring and Patton families: Caleb Loring Jr., Joanne Holbrook Patton, Caleb Loring III and Bronwyn E. Loring ’87. The award recognized their outstanding legacy of philanthropy in Greater Boston and their significant contributions to Christian institutions and causes. 

Following a performance by the Gordon College Men's Choir, and messages of appreciation from two students—Ashley Holm ’15 and Jorge Rodriguez ’14—the evening’s keynote speaker was Andrew Card, Acting Dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, and former chief of staff for President George W. Bush.

Mr. Card’s address, “Faithful Leadership in Times of Crisis,” was drawn from his front-lines experience with President Bush and his inner circle of advisors, focusing on the event and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Through an intimate, behind-the-scenes narrative, Mr. Card drove home the important point that the kind of steady leadership President Bush exercised during that extraordinarily challenging series of events is only possible in a grounding of faith.

"Gordon is an institution grounded in faith,” Mr. Card said. “In order to contribute in life one must be grounded in faith and Gordon is a college that never loses sight of this.”

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