An Independent
Woman

Sharing an indomitable spirit and
a love of athletics and books, its no wonder
Ernest Hemingway was
attracted to Irene Gordon. On the
eve of her 100th birthday
and his — she reminisces about
one of the greatest American
writers of the 20th century.

MEGAN SWOYER

Special to The Jewish News

he walked everywhere, played tennis, and skied like a
champion until she was 70-something. She traveled
when she felt like it, wintered in New York City and
went to hundreds of plays and concerts. She ran one of
Michigan's first department stores, and raised two daughters on
her own. She played the piano, wrote poetry and read books
voraciously. She volunteered for the blind, taught dance and
exercise, and swam regularly until she was 98.
And she once was one of Ernest Hemingway's best pals.
The beautiful Irene Gordon (born Irene Goldstein), turning
100 years old this month, could attract just about any boy or man
— Jewish or not — who wasn't afraid of an independent woman.
But although the Nobel Prize-winning Ernest Hemingway was
extremely fond of Gordon and wrote her in 1949 what was surely
a letter of extreme admiration, she says today that she never
would have allowed herself to get romantically involved with him.
"I wasn't particularly interested in Christian boys and I did-
n't want them to get interested in me, because I knew I would-
n't marry a Christian," she says on a mid-June afternoon during
lunch in her Petoskey home.
This month, Gordon — who divides her time between a
nearby assisted living center and her cottage-style abode in
Petoskey, where her daughter and son-in-law Gloria and

S

Irene Gordon (born Irene Goldstein) sits in
her Petoskey home, sharing tales about her
friendship with Ernest Hemingway. Behind
Gordon, who turns 100 this month, are
dozens of books, many of which were written
by the award-winning author. The couple's
first date, in 1919, was spent discussing books.

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Detroit Jewish News

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