Gordon W. Winslow Jr.

Born on August 19, 1940, he was the son of the late Gordon Wilfred Winslow Sr. and Aline Agatha Salvas. Gordon was born in Windham County Connecticut from where he left at a young age and spent the next 22 years on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts in the summers and Hollywood, Florida in the winters. Gordon attended St. Leo's Preparatory School for four years. This school was run by the Benedictine Monks at Saint Leo Abbey in Saint Leo, Florida. He was appointed by his U.S. Congressman to the Naval Academy at Annapolis and was admitted to Annapolis Prep. School in Washington, D.C. after high school. During a routine Navy physical it was learned that Gordon was color blind thus making him unqualified for Annapolis. It was at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, October-December of 1962, that Gordon decided to enter the U.S. Air Force where he served for four years in the medical corp. His assignments were in Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Alaska for his last two years.

Upon his discharge from the Air Force, Gordon entered Dade Junior College in Miami, Florida for two years. He graduated with honors and received an Associate Degree in Pre-Law. Then attended Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History. He became acquainted with his future wife, Libia Portilla, while at F.A.U. He married Libia Portilla Winslow in May 1973 and they were blessed to share 47 years together and raise three daughters. In March 1974, Gordon found employment with the Clerk of County and Criminal Courts in Dade County, Florida. He was subsequently promoted to Clerk’s Archivist and Historian. He was a member of the Society of Florida Archivists, Inc. and in 2002 was granted the Award of Excellence. Gordon set up the archives and ran this department until his retirement in June 2003.

Winslow had an interest in genealogy that began in prep school. In the course of his research he became a life member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Mayflower Society where he was Colony Historian for a few years in the Ft. Lauderdale Chapter. The Winslow Heritage Society and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War are among other prestigious organizations he was proudly a part of.

Gordon was a keen student of Cuban history whose studies and research were widely known and acknowledged in several books. He founded and built the Cuban Information Archives at Cuban-exile.com, a repository of events, names, chronologies and documents used by researchers worldwide. A key part of that collection included a wide array of information, including primary documentation obtained from the Miami Police Department and through the Freedom of Information Act, about the Cuba/South Florida connection to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. For his work, he was presented with the New Frontier Award in 1996 by the historical research group JFK Lancer. In 1993, Director Oliver Stone recommended Gordon to President Clinton for appointment to the board overseeing the release of JFK records. As the Miami-Dade clerk’s historian and archivist, Gordon identified and preserved for public inspection court records of historical significance, including cases involving noted public figures including Muhammad Ali, the Watergate burglars, and figures involved in the Kennedy assassination and organized crime, including Al Capone. In 1995, he made the disturbing discovery that 42 original documents from singer Jim Morrison’s 1969 criminal file had been stolen, including the original bail bond sheet signed by The Door’s lead singer. Gordon later tracked down the thief, a Morrison biographer, and sent him a certified letter demanding the return of the bail-bond document that had been sold by the thief for $15,900. His work earned him the nickname, “Master Researcher.” Upon retiring he spent his time delving into more genealogy research.

A heartfelt thank you to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center for treating Winslow’s disease for over 15 years and to Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals for providing the costly medications when he was in need throughout the course of his treatments. Special thanks to Dr. Joseph Byrnes, his assistant Lisa Cabral and the CTU nursing staff for their phenomenal attention and for never losing hope for him. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his memory to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Gordon W. Winslow Jr. is survived by Libia Portilla Winslow (Spouse), Libby Aline Winslow (Jeremy Davis) (Daughter), Georgianna Winslow Torres (Daniel A. Torres) (Daughter), Susan Amy Winslow-Garcia (Hermes A. Garcia) (Daughter), Gordon also leaves his beautiful grandchildren; Edward Winslow Diaz, Aline Rose Garcia, Kevin Alexander Torres, Stella Lily Garcia, Thomas Daniel Torres, and Zakai Davis., and brother Michael Winslow.

Funeral Services will be held on October 30, 2020 10:00AM at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Cemetery in Miami, Florida.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.riverofuneralhomemiami.com for the WINSLOW JR. family.