Gordon Dunn

Dunn participated in the discus competition for the United States Olympic Team at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Dunn qualified in second position behind fellow U.S. Olympian Ken Carpenter. In the Final round, Dunn threw for 49.36 meters (161 feet, 10 3/4 inches) earning him a Silver Medal. The 1936 Olympics would be Dunn's first and only appearance due to the next Olympic games not occurring again until 1948 Summer Olympics as a result of World War II.

Dunn returned to Menlo Park where he divorced is first wife, Marjorie Kitselman in 1938. He married Naomi McCool shortly after the divorce and moved back to his birthplace of Portland where he took a job working as a merchandizing salesman for Associated Oil.[6] In 1942, Dunn joined the U.S. Navy and became a Lieutenant Commander in Office of Naval Intelligence for the duration of the war.[7]

Dunn ran for mayor in April 1949 under a platform of cleaning up the city. Dunn won the election over incumbent Mayor Glenn M. DeVore. When elected, he was the youngest mayor of Fresno at the time. During his first term, he led raids on bordellos and gambling dens. In addition, he sought to regulate pinball machines to outlaw their use for gambling in the city.[8] Dunn also pushed for conversion of the Downtown Fresno streets to one-way traffic to lessen traffic gridlock,[9] the upgrade of paving of the city streets, and the removal of street parking in favor of surface parking.[10] Dunn also outlawed street racing amongst firefighters.[11] For his zest in fighting crime and bringing order on city employees he qualified for the new nickname of "No-Fun Dunn." He frequented going to fire and police meeting and events, and is known to have had both red lights and a siren installed on his personal vehicle. Gordon ran for a second term in 1953 and won with 65% of the vote. His second term would see a similar platforms as his first term including significant increases to the Fresno Police Department staff rosters and budget.[12] Dunn ran in 1957 for a third term and lost to C. Cal Evans. In 1958 the city charter was approved and the mayoral office was to be voted on again. Dunn ran in 1958 again for a third term but came in third place behind Evans and Arthur L. Selland.

Dunn left Fresno and moved to San Francisco, California where he resided until death. In 1964, Gordon Dunn was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame.[13] On July 26, 1964, Gordon Dunn died of a heart attack at the age of 52, the same cause of death that took his grandfather 51 years earlier.