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Dean C. Gordanier ’70

Dean C. Gordanier Jr. ’70, February 25, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts, from stomach cancer. Dean earned a BA in theatre from Reed. After graduation he lived in San Francisco and worked at a stationery store selling rubber bands and paper clips; he also did carpentry. Inspired to enter the legal profession during Watergate hearings, Dean attended Boston University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude with a JD in 1981. He joined the law firm Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault in Boston in 1984, and was a partner in the firm at the time of his death. His tax legislation work, especially in the areas of private equity and venture capital, was considered innovative. Legal publications included "Structuring Securities Partnerships for Foreign and Tax-Exempt Partners" (Journal of Partnership Taxation, 1990). Dean had "a flair for the dramatic," with a creative intellect fueled by books and new technology. His talents also included singing and whistling, and he was said to have a contagious cheerful disposition. In 1969 he married Rachael M. Dorr ’76, and they had three children, with whom he traveled each summer to Nevada to attend the Burning Man Festival. He is survived by his wife; his daughters, including Amy Gordanier ’07, and son; his mother, four sisters and two brothers.

Appeared in Reed magazine: August 2004