Michael S. Gordon, one of the principal architects of ERISA, died of pneumonia Sunday in Washington. He was 70. Mr. Gordon served on the President's Committee on Corporate Pension Funds in 1965, and as the special minority counsel for pensions to Sen. Jacob Javits, R-N.Y., on the Senate Labor Subcommittee. After leaving Capitol Hill in 1976, Mr. Gordon set up a legal practice in Washington representing small business employers, multi-employer pension funds, participants and not-for-profit organizations. "He was very, very special because he had a core of commitment and principles and decency and integrity that he never let go of," said Frank Cummings, partner at LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae, and chief of staff for Mr. Javitz from the late 1960s until the early 1970s.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. EST Wednesday at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. Contributions can be made to the National Retiree Legislative Network, Washington.