The Late Great Lee Gordon of KRCG

If you live in the Columbia/Jefferson City, Missouri television market and you are anything older than a Zoomer, chances are good that you remember Lee Gordon. Lee Gordon worked for the Jefferson City station KRCG in various capacities for 53 years. It would not surprise me if he worked longer in the Columbia-Jefferson City market than any other on-air personality. Sadly, Lee Gordon died Tuesday, November 9, at the age of 85. The cause was complications of pulmonary disease.

Lee Gordon was born in Jefferson City and had deep roots in the capital city. An elementary school in Jefferson City is even named for his uncle, Thorpe Gordon. Lee Gordon was taking drama classes at Jefferson Junior College when KRCG was hiring a part-time announcer for the station. He began work at KRCG in April 1955, only a few weeks after the station had opened in February 1955. Mr. Gordon had only been working at KRCG when the station's full-time announcer quit. KRCG then offered him the job and he took it.

It was early in KRCG's history that he was the anchor for the station's 10:00 PM newscast, as well as its announcer for commercials. In 1956 he began his long stint as a weathercaster at the station. Lee Gordon also worked behind the scenes. In the days when KRCG produced a good deal of local programming, Lee Gordon directed many of those live local TV shows. In the days before ABC affiliate KCBJ (now KMIZ) opened in 1971, KRCG and Columbia station KOMU would divide up ABC programming between the two stations. It was Lee Gordon who chose which ABC shows would air on KRCG, everything from The Big Valley to The Johnny Cash Show. He served as KRCG's program manager and eventually its station manager.

Aside from his long stint as a weatherman on KRCG, many viewers might remember him best for playing Santa Claus on the station's long running children's show Showtime in the weeks before Christmas. He is also remembered as KRCG's horror host, The Count, on the station's horror movie anthology Tales of Terror in the early to mid Seventies. Tales of Terror included reruns of the classic TV series Thriller and such classic horror movies as Son of Frankenstein  (1939) and The Mummy (1932).

Lee Gordon retired in 2008 after having worked for KRCG for 53 years. Over the years he had offers to work in bigger markets, but KRCG would also match any offers that were made. Eventually he was content to remain with KRCG and continue living in Fulton, where he raised his family.

Having grown up in mid-Missouri I have very fond memories of Lee Gordon. He was one of the best on-air personalities to ever work in this market, both as an anchorman and a weatherman. He had an incredible, deep voice that was perfect not only for announcing, but for his roles as Santa Claus and The Count. He had a long career with KRCG, seeing television evolve from analog technology to digital technology. Both because of the length of his career and his talent as an on-air personality, Lee Gordon will remain one of the best remembered people to work in the Columba/Jefferson City television market.