Mrs. Gordon, former Olongapo mayor and assemblywoman, had legally adopted 54 children, some of them literally left at her doorsteps.
She had also touched the lives of thousands more, as the founder of the Boys Town and Girls Home, which provides care and shelter for orphaned Filipino children of American descent, popularly called "Amerasians."
Previous Pearl S. Buck Women of the Year awardees include former President Corazon Aquino, former United States First Lady and now Sen. Hillary Clinton and legendary actress Audrey Hepburn.
Nominees for this year’s awards included Barbara and Laura Bush, mother and wife, respectively, of US President George Bush; Dana Cheney, wife of US Vice President Dick Cheney, and Mary Robinson of the United Nations, who was also cited for her work for Amerasian children.
Pearl S. Buck, the first woman to be awarded the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, funded the PSBI, a non-sectarian development and humanitarian assistance organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life and expanding opportunities for educational, social, economic and civil rights.
Mrs. Gordon was married to James L. Gordon, the "father" of Olongapo City, who was assassinated for his crusade for an independent city of Olongapo.
One of their five children, Richard, who conceived of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority as an alternative to the American presence in the former American naval base, became its first chairman. He is now tourism secretary.
Richard’s wife, Katherine, is now Olongapo City mayor. Another son, James Gordon Jr., is a congressman, representing the first district of Zambales and Olongapo City, while a grandson, Juan Carlos de los Reyes, is an Olongapo councilor.
Mrs. Gordon also served as chairman of the board of directors of the Philippine National Red Cross and chairman of the Olongapo Civic Action Group.
She is active in many enterprises in her home city, especially those concerned with the welfare of abandoned children.