Overview

Here is a fascinating portrayal of the life and ministry of Bill Gordon, dynamic and unorthodox leader of the Episcopal Church in Alaska for twenty six years. It is a story, too, of a changing Alaska, beginning in the 1940s and taking us to the post-oil pipeline era of the 1970s. Upon Bill's election as bishop in I 948 at the age of 29, the Gordons moved to Fairbanks and Bill assumed control of the enormous Missionary District. Undaunted, he learned to fly and soon was spending six months of his year traveling among the far-flung Indian and Eskimo villages in his single-engine plane. He had many dose calls in the Alaskan wilderness, crashing no less than six times. Tireless in his dedication to his flock, Bill could be a tough taskmaster. Priests who came north to his parishes soon learned to """"rough it"""" like their bishop, who was often content with a pot of beaver stew and a sleeping bag in a one-room hut. Bill marched to a different drummer on many issues, openly opposing the Vietnam war at a time when very few of his parishioners and fellow bishops did. In the mid- I 960s he began an ambitious and controversial program to raise up native clergy-priests whose only training was on the spot. This meant changing the canons of the Episcopal Church, but Bill prevailed, ordaining twenty-seven native men and women in the early 1970s, In 1974, after serving for twenty-six years as a bishop, Bill saw his work completed and resigned, leaving an indelible mark on Alaska and the Episcopal Church.

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9781532679155

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Reviews

An Angel on His Wing is written with the usual skill of Tay Thomas_. It is a fascinating story of a remarkable personality, with absorbing descriptions of the Alaskan country from primitive pioneer days. Norman Vincent Peale ... a can't-put-it-down book about the flying bishop of Alaska and about his thirty years of hard-driving, adventurous and utterly dedicated ministry there. More than that, it is a well written account of growth and change in the Episcopal Church during the same period, of Eskimo and Indian village life and of the missionaries and their wives who faced hardship, isolation and tragedy in that harsh and beautiful land. The Rev. Charles H. Long, D.D., Director and Editor, Forward Movement Carefully, colorfully and with compassion for the land and its people, Tay Thomas logs the faith and flights of one of God's Alaskan co-pilots. Jay Hammond, Former Governor of Alaska

An Angel on His Wing is written with the usual skill of Tay Thomas. It is a fascinating story of a remarkable personality, with absorbing descriptions of the Alaskan country from primitive pioneer days. Norman Vincent Peale An Angel on His Wing is as much a tale of the adventures of Bill Gordon, Alaska's Flying Bishop, as it is a love story of a man, his extraordinary wife Shirley, and the people and land of Alaska. Brilliantly written by Tay Thomas, this book draws the reader into the spirit of faith, hope, and love that defined the Gordons' life and ministry in Alaska for over a quarter century. As the 8th bishop of Alaska, I still hear the stories of the Flying Bishop told by those whose love for him abides to this day. The Diocese of Alaska gives thanks that there was an angel on Bill Gordon's wing, and we have been honored by Tay Thomas for telling this adventure-filled love story so well. The Rt. Rev. Mark Lattime, 8th Bishop of Alaska Carefully, colorfully and with compassion for the land and its people, Tay Thomas logs the faith and flights of one of God's Alaskan co-pilots. Jay Hammond, Former Governor of Alaska

"An Angel on His Wing is written with the usual skill of Tay Thomas_. It is a fascinating story of a remarkable personality, with absorbing descriptions of the Alaskan country from primitive pioneer days. Norman Vincent Peale ... a can't-put-it-down book about the ""flying bishop"" of Alaska and about his thirty years of hard-driving, adventurous and utterly dedicated ministry there. More than that, it is a well written account of growth and change in the Episcopal Church during the same period, of Eskimo and Indian village life and of the missionaries and their wives who faced hardship, isolation and tragedy in that harsh and beautiful land. The Rev. Charles H. Long, D.D., Director and Editor, Forward Movement Carefully, colorfully and with compassion for the land and its people, Tay Thomas logs the faith and flights of one of God's Alaskan co-pilots. Jay Hammond, Former Governor of Alaska"

Author Information

Tay Pryor Thomas, a graduate of Smith College, married Lowell Thomas Jr. in 1950 and became a world traveler and author. She and Lowell moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1960, and that became home for their next fifty years together. Tay became well known as a philanthropist, political activist and churchwoman, and she published five books on Alaska, including this biography of Bishop William Gordon.

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