Recent News

2024 Scholarship Recipients

Every year the House of Gordon USA awards a minimum of three scholarships through our Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship. These are awarded to help the young, and even the young at heart to further their studies in the Scottish Arts, including but not limited to: piping, highland drumming, highland dance, fiddle, heavy athletics, and Gaelic language study. It is my great pleasure to announce our 2024 recipients!!!

The Executive Board awarded $500 Scholarships to: Brynn Brown, 14 year old dancer, Chase Leadmon, 11 year old dancer, Katherine Pritchard, 10 year old drummer, Elizabeth Wendland, 14 year old dancer, and the Queen City Juvenile Pipes & Drums.

We also awarded $200 Scholarships to: Alyse Duppenthaler, 13 year old dancer, Hannah Brugger, 18 year old dancer, and Audrey Davies, 14 year old dancer.

The winner of the Grade 4 Piper of the Day Award at 2023 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games was Luke DeGhetto. He was awarded $250.

A special thanks to our Executive Board Members for their time and service to the Scottish Highland community in making this process a success. Thanks to every House of Gordon USA Member who contributes to this fund. You are the bloodline in supporting our youth. Thank you to all the fine applicants who applied, we wish you all the best in your endeavors and invite you to apply again next year!!!!

Tony T. Williams

Scholarship Chair & Treasurer

House of Gordon USA

By House of Gordon USA, ago
Lifetime Membership Package

Lifetime Memberships are here!

What’s the Lifetime Membership?

The Lifetime Membership is a one-time due of $500 that lasts your lifetime. It’s a great option for those who do not want to have to remember to renew every year or so or those who want to gift a membership to the younger generation. The dues get distributed the same as the regular memberships: $200 to the national organization, $200 to the current local division, and $100 to the Gordon Scottish Heritage Charities Fund.

What do I receive for the Lifetime Membership?

Being that we are a charity organization our first and foremost priority is to promote the House of Gordon and it’s charity. That being said we want the Lifetime Membership to feel a little more special since it is a large chunk all at once. Therefore you will receive: a special Lifetime Member Certificate, a Lifetime membership card, a Welcome letter from the current President of the House of Gordon USA, a House of Gordon Postcard, a Gordon pin, and a Challenge Coin. This is in addition to the two annual national newsletters that all current members receive.

Sign up for one now!

Lifetime Membership Package
By House of Gordon USA, ago

Board Member & Directors at Large

Our AGM (Annual General Meeting) this year was held on October 21st at the Stone Mountain Highland Games. Stone Mountain Highland Games is a large festival in the southern United States and we were excited to bring the AGM to a new location. This year is our election year and as a result we are thrilled to welcome three new Directors at Large to the Board voted for by our members. Timothy Steele, Penny Pierson, and Josh Yerger! We are equally thrilled that our existing Board Member, Phil Gardner, has been elected as our new Secretary! He has been an excellent contributor to our board since he became a member at large last year. Congratulations to all! BYDAND! For contact information visit our contact page.

By House of Gordon USA, ago

2023 Scholarship Recipients

2023 Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Every year the House of Gordon USA awards a minimum of three scholarships through our Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship. These are awarded to help the young, and even the young at heart to further their studies in the Scottish Arts, including but not limited to: piping, highland drumming, highland dance, fiddle, heavy athletics, and Gaelic language study. It is my great pleasure to announce our three recipients for 2023!

Cohen Pritchard

Cohen is an 11-year-old drummer from Rutherfordton, NC. He started started his study of Scottish snare drum about two years ago, but is already impressing us with his skills. His first competition was at Stone Mountain Games October 2022 where he received Drummer of the Day, Grade 5 Snare 1st place. We’re awarding Cohen $500.

Mercedes Knoflicek

Merecedes is a 13-year-old highland dancer from Madison, WI. She started her journey to learn dance at age 10. Since the summer of 2021, Mercedes has been in 15 competitions. She’s received awards at the USIR Highland Dance Championship in 2022, the Frozen Fling Highland Dance Completion in 2022 and 2023, and at the Quad Cities Highland Dance Competition in 2023. We’re awarding Mercedes $500.

Molly Smith

Molly is a 20-year-old from Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Molly’s family runs the Brenda Gordon School of Dance in Aberdeenshire and she shared with us that she’s been dancing since she could walk. Her awards are Atlantic International Champion- Grandfather Mountain, and Grampian Games League Winner 2022-Braemar Gathering are a couple in 2022, she won over 50 trophies in 2022. She was 1st Runner up Scottish National Champion Cowal Highland Gathering in 2016 and 1st Runner up European Champion in 2017. We’re awarding Molly $500.

Thank you to all the fine applicants who applied, we wish you all the best in your endeavors and invite you to apply again next year!!!!

By House of Gordon USA, ago

Conveners Needed!

We need conveners in the following states and are looking for volunteers! If you have a love for your Gordon heritage and want to get to know like minded people in your area, then consider The House of Gordon USA as a great non-profit to get involved with!

We are looking for conveners in Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Virginia areas!

Also, if the state you live in currently has a convener, consider volunteering to help them out, as much or as little as you like. Mark Todd, Washington State Convener, is looking for help for some of the events. Barbara Gordon Wray in South Carolina would love to have help at the tent and with the Parade of Tartans/Clans if anyone would like to help out. Our Alaska Convener, Laurel Osborne would definitely appreciate some help setting up and breaking down at her games!

If you would like to help set up or shut down, contact your convener! There are always opportunities for members to get involved with the House of Gordon USA.

Don’t see a convener for your area? Contact our Convener Coordinator, Robert Gordon to become one today!

By House of Gordon USA, ago

2023 Scholarship Applications Now Open!

Applications for the Charles O. Gordon Scholarship for 2023 are now open for submission! The House of Gordon USA awards a minimum of three scholarships per year through the Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship Program.

Deadline to receive applications is March 20, 2023.

Recipients will be announced in honor of Tartan Day on April 6th, Tartan Day.

Reminder that this Scholarship is not limited to House of Gordon members. It is available to those who wish to further their tutelage in the Scottish Arts, including but not limited to: piping, highland drumming, highland dance, fiddle, heavy athletics, and Gaelic language study.

Scholarship-Application-2023Download

Download the application and mail the complete application with picture and essay to:

House of Gordon USA
Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship
10355A Goldeye St
Tacoma, WA 98433

Or email to scholarship@houseofgordonusa.org

Feel free to reach out to our Scholarship Chair, Tony T. Williams with any questions

By House of Gordon USA, ago

2022 Scholarship Recipients

2022 Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship Winners

We are happy to award the Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship to Vanessa Sharpe and Travis Greer.

Every year The House of Gordon USA awards scholarships through the Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship Program to two lucky individuals who wish to further their studies and training in the Scottish Arts, including but not limited to: piping, highland drumming, highland dance, fiddle, heavy athletics, and Gaelic language study.

This year we had few applicants. We did have two outstanding individuals that the Board was excited to sponsor.

Vanessa Mhairi Gordon Sharp

Vanessa is about to finish her first year at Mississippi College where she is studying linguistics. She recently for out she has been accepted a Gaelic Immersion course at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. This year-long program will allow her to develop advanced Gaelic language skills, as well as acquire in-depth knowledge and understanding of Scottish Gaelic language, culture, and literature through advanced level Gaelic language immersion. We are awarding Vanessa a $500 grant.

Travis Greer

About six years, while researching an interest in strength sports, Travis happened upon Highland Game Heavy Athletics. From there he educated himself on the sport and began training. He’s learned all the different techniques needed to be a fine heavy athlete. Once he began competing it awoke a connection to the true spirit and heritage of the game. Travis is our very first Heavy Athlete to apply for our scholarship! We are awarding Travis a $500 grant.

By House of Gordon USA, ago

2021 Scholarship Recipients

This year without competitions many of our youth have had few opportunities to participate in classes and competitions and improve their skills. Although last year’s recipients were limited in what they could do, they all worked hard to build their skillsets, and many put aside money for camps to use when the COVID crisis is behind us.

This year we had few applicants for obvious reasons. We did have two outstanding highland dancers that the Board was excited to sponsor. We are happy to award the Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship to Audrey Trawick & Sage Tousey!

Audrey Trawick

Audrey Trawick

Audrey Trawick, of New Port Richey, FL. Audrey is a repeat recipient and is a newly fully certified Member of the British Association of Teachers of Dance which is to say, a fully certified Highland Dance Instuctor! She had this as her previous goal, and we are happy to see she accomplished it. We are awarding Audrey a $500.00 grant.

Sage Tousey Highland Dancer

Sage Tousey

Sage Tousey, an 11-year-old Highland Dancer from Studio City, CA. Sage applied before and while we were impressed with her spirit, talent, and progress, at that time she was underage to qualify for our scholarship. We are excited she applied this year and we’re even more impressed with her hard work and determination. We’re also happy to see that a former recipient of our scholarship, Emma Schiff, is her dance instructor. We are awarding Sage a $500.00 grant.

By House of Gordon USA, ago