Gordon Joinville - A City of San Mateo Fallen Hero

Gordon R. Joinville
(1933 - 1968)

On October 5, 1968, the City of San Mateo held a dedication ceremony at the opening of their new municipal swim pool on Kehoe Avenue.  The new swim center, "Joinville Pool," was dedicated in the memory of slain San Mateo Police officer, Gordon R. Joinville.  Present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were members of the San Mateo City Council, the Mayor, and members of the San Mateo Park and Recreation Commission.  The commemorative plaque that still decorates the pool lobby reads, in part, as follows:

At the time Joinville was killed, he was 34-years-old and had served with the San Mateo Police Department for 12 years.  He was head of the Department's Juvenile Detective Bureau.  Gordon Joinville was a native of San Francisco and a resident of San Mateo.  He left behind a wife, Margaret (whom he married in 1961), and two young children, ages three and four.  He has also been memorialized at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice, the Peace Officers Memorial in Sacramento, and the National Peace Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.

Gordon R. Joinville remains the ONLY City of San Mateo police officer to have been killed in the line of duty.

FOR THE FULL STORY, CLICK ON LINKS BELOW.
          Part 1 - Officer Down - Click here for the 2-page PDF file - V 1.1
          Part 2 - The Aftermath - Click here for the 5-page PDF file - V 1.1
          Part 3 - A Friend of Youth - Click here for the 3-page PDF file - V 1.2
          Part 4 - The Legacy - Click here for the 5-page PDF file - V 1.1

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Gordon Joinville - A City of San Mateo Fallen Hero

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I would like to thank the following for their assistance in compiling the information for this report:

• First and foremost, San Mateo Police Chief Susan E. Manheimer and her secretary, Maya Nakamura.  Without their help, this report would not exist.
• Margaret Joinville (Gordon Joinville's widow)
• Shirley Burns (Gordon Joinville 's sister)
• John Horgan (Columnist for the San Mateo County Times)
• John Burr (Retired San Mateo Police Officer)
• Ed Trucco (Retired San Mateo Police Officer)
• Captain Nicholas Gottuso, Hillsborough Police Department
• Sergeant Bob Szelenyi, San Mateo Police Department
• Lieutenant Mike Brunicardi, San Mateo Police Department
• Bob Livingstone, LCSW - www.BobLivingstone.com
• Bob Reed
• Joanne Bracco
• Lori Piacente
• Larry Radetich (who was the first lifeguard at Joinville Pool on the day it opened!)
• Lane Poms
• Phil Banda
• Nancy Littlefield
• Bart Selby
• San Mateo County History Museum (archives)
• San Mateo Public Library (San Mateo Times archives)
• . . . and all the hundreds of "Gordon's Kids" whose identities shall remain confidential

Bob Leuten - November 10, 2009