By Stephanie Johns
Staff Writer

Fred Perriman, president and co-founder of the Morgan County African American Museum, came to this newspaper with the idea of choosing four members of the community to be spotlighted during Black History Month in February.
This one spotlights Morgan County native Milledge Gordon Jr., the son of the late Irene and Milledge Gordon Sr.
He and his wife, Beverly, have four children: Donnie Davenport, Kim Benion, Catrina Edwards, and Yasma Johnson.
He is a member of Springfield Baptist Church and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Gordon began his business, Gordon Mobile Home Carrier, 39 years ago. He said that to the best of his knowledge, he was the first black person in the state to receive licenses for moving and setting up manufactured homes.
He also worked for the GM Plant in Doraville for 26 years before retiring.
“I worked at the Doraville plant at night and ran my business in the daytime,” he said.
A Vietnam veteran, Gordon said he spent two years in the military and received two years as an early out. In all, he said he had 30 years of employment prior to retirement.
He and his eight employees work all over the state of Georgia. He estimated that the number of homes he has worked on in almost four decades is “in the thousands.”
A 1963 graduate of Pearl High School, Gordon said he basically learned how to do his business on his own.
He noted that he worked “a little bit” with a man out of Covington.
Once it was known that he wanted to get his own license several of the men in that business, including the man giving him pointers on setting up the homes as well as men with mobile home parks, gave him opposition.
Not all men opposed him, though. A couple helped him in his pursuit of a license.
He noted that Brooks Pennington was one of those who helped him.
In order for him to get his license he had to go before the judge of Public Service Commission in Atlanta. He took a lawyer, Eugene Baldwin, as well as a letter of recommendation that Pennington wrote for him.
He also went to the people with mobile homes in the community requesting letters of support but was refused.
“Apparently, he made some phone calls and I received the letters,” he said, speaking of Pennington. “The key to getting my license was the recommendation Mr. Pennington gave me.”
Another man, Paul Holmes of Holmes Mobile Homes, wanted to use Gordon’s services.
“Some others with (mobile home) parks didn’t have the desire to use me,” he said. Speaking of Holmes, he added, “He was the one who encouraged me to get my license to do this.”

Printed in the February 7, 2013 edition.