Robert “Bob” Gordon

July 1, 1932 – April 13, 2025

Robert Gordon, devoted husband, father, professor, and lifelong philosopher, passed away peacefully on April 13, 2025, at the age of 92.

Born in New York City, Bob grew up in the Bronx and Queens. As a boy, he declared his independence by rooting for the Yankees’ rival, the St. Louis Cardinals—foreshadowing the many years he would later spend in St. Louis. He attended the Fieldston Ethical Culture School, Carleton College, and ultimately earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University.

His studies in medieval philosophy were briefly interrupted by two years of service in the U.S. Army, including a year in Iceland living in a quonset hut with 15 other soldiers. Upon returning, he shifted his focus to ethics, beginning a career that would span decades.

Bob taught philosophy at the University of Florida and the University of Wisconsin–Madison before settling at the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 1970. In the mid-1980s, he published influential work on the emotions and on how we interpret one another’s behavior by mentally simulating it. This groundbreaking theory anticipated what would later be recognized as “mirror neurons” and influenced fields ranging from psychology to robotics. He lectured around the world, serving as a visiting professor at the University of Helsinki and Radboud University in the Netherlands. His work continued late into life, including a chapter published in a 2021 neuroscience volume.

Bob was also a man of wide-ranging interests and joys. He loved music—Berlioz, Prokofiev, Mozart operas, Bach, and Gilbert & Sullivan—along with the visual art of Paul Klee, Miro  and Monet. A tinkerer at heart, he assembled radios, explored early computers, experimented with photography, and never tired of perfecting the art of coffee brewing. In his later years, his recumbent e-trike brought him freedom and joy, allowing him to explore the world even as walking became difficult.

Bob married the love of his life, Mae, in 1969. Together they shared 55 years of marriage, travel, and companionship. A late but devoted father, he became a parent at 55 with the birth of his son Michael and later an adoptive father to his nephew Alex “Masato” Ouchida, whom he lovingly raised for 10 years.

Bob is survived by his wife Mae, his son Michael, his nephew Alex “Masato” Ouchida, his extended family, and the countless students and colleagues whose lives he touched. His curiosity, warmth, and intellect will be dearly missed.

Family would appreciate donations to Northwest Kidney Center, https://www.nwkidney.org