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Alumni
In Memoriam: Gordon N. Oakes Jr.
Notable alumnus and former UMass board of trustees member and chairman Gordon N. Oakes, Jr. died on Monday, Nov. 28 surrounded by his family.
Born in 1941 to Margery and Gordon Sr. in North Adams, Massachusetts, he was 81 years old when he died. Oakes worked on the family chicken farm growing up and went on to attend UMass Amherst to study poultry sciences.
He graduated in 1963 and was president of his graduating class. While a student at UMass, he met his wife, Pam, to whom he was married for almost 60 years.
After college he went on to live most of his life living in Deerfield and had an impressive career, becoming president of BayBank Valley Springfield and CEO of Monarch Capital.
Oakes was a longtime member of the UMass Board of Trustees, serving as chairman from 1988-1993, and was a founding member of the UMass Foundation Board. Gordon was instrumental in the development of the Mullins Center, a multi-purpose 10,500 seat facility on the Amherst campus and was awarded two honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of his impact on the University.
He was also active in the business community of Springfield, Massachusetts, serving on the board of the Basketball Hall of Fame and other institutions in the area.
An accomplished traveler, he visited 43 countries, 48 states and all 10 Canadian provinces.
He leaves behind his wife, Pam; sons Kevin, Brian and Tim; daughters-in-law Lesley and Kim; and six grandchildren. He was predeceased by his only sibling, Sylvia.