“Milly”
The chaotic events of the 20th century affected everyone who lived in this time period in one way or another. My maternal great-grandmother, Mildred (“Milly”) Gleichauf Gordon, was one of these people. Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Milly left college to travel the world alone when she was only 19 years old. Later, as a wife and mother of three children, her family was forced to flee from three different wars and witnessed many of the defining political events of the 20th century. Her stories, passed down through my family, show her to be an imaginative, practical, and brave woman in the face of repeated adversity. Distinguished by her curiosity and love of adventure, Milly is an important part of my family history because of her determination to lead a unique and exciting life and to share her experiences with her family.
For my capstone project, I have brought her travels and stories to life, using family memoirs, photos, and film. My great grandfather, R.M. Gordon, Sr., worked for the Kodak Eastman Company, and the videos used in this project are taken by him on 16mm film. The audio was added in the 1970’s and blended together on VHS video tape before a digital copy was created in 2005. This is not my story, but I hope that this project will be passed down for future generations, much like Milly’s story was.
Software: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro, and QGIS 2024
