The Board of Trustees of the Mission Inn Foundation proudly announces the selection of Gordon Bourns for the 2018 Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award. This prestigious accolade is presented annually to individuals who have provided outstanding civic leadership, service, and support to the community in the tradition of Frank A. Miller, founder of the Mission Inn. This year’s honoree, Gordon Bourns, has devoted many years to Riverside and the surrounding community.
Sally Beaty, President of the Mission Inn Foundation Board of Trustees, says, “We are beyond thrilled to recognize Gordon Bourns for his long-standing support of education and of the community. Along with his family, he strives to balance career, community, church, and family activities yet still finds time to contribute on so many levels.”
Previous individual honorees of the Frank Miller Civic Achievement Award include Knox Mellon, Tim Hays, Judge Victor Miceli, Peggy Fouke Wortz, Justice John Gabbert, Duane R. Roberts, Art Littleworth, Henry Coil, Jr., S. Sue Johnson, Gary Rawlings, Dr. Charles Beaty, Ron and Marsha Loveridge, Judge Charles Field, Cindy Roth, Joe Tavaglione, Jack B. Clarke Jr., and Dr. and Mrs. Ronald L. Ellis. In 2017, Judy Carpenter of Riverside Medical Clinic joined their ranks.
Bourns grew up in Riverside, working weekends and summers in the business his parents had started in their garage—a place they called “Bourns Laboratories.” In 1973, with both a bachelors and masters degrees under his belt, he became a full-time employee at Bourns, Inc., leading to 25 years in sales, marketing, engineering, quality assurance, and manufacturing as well as general management culminating in his election as President in 1990. He now presides over a worldwide electronic firm that employs over 7,000 people at 15 domestic and international facilities. The Bourns facilities, internationally, manufacture over 10,000 products to support the automotive, consumer industrial, and telecommunications industries.
As Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bourns, Inc., Bourns recently ushered the company through its 70th Anniversary in 2017. Bourns Engineering was started by Marlan and Rosemary Bourns, Gordon’s parents, in 1947 operating out of their Altadena garage. Soon after, they moved the company to Riverside where the worldwide headquarters serves multiple industries including automotive, aerospace, cellular devices, and notebook computers. The company even provided a component for a vehicle on Mars.
In the mode of Frank Miller, Bourns’ involvement in community affairs is legendary. He is a champion for STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and sponsors the annual two-day STEP Conference. He serves as a member of the Riverside Police Department Foundation Board, the Board of Advisors for UC Riverside’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, and is CFO for the School Board of Riverside Christian School. He received the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award 2012, the Inland Empire Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award, the Spirit Award for Lifetime Achievement from CSU San Bernardino, and the Father of the Year Award by the American Diabetes Association. He was named Fellow of the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering at California Baptist University in 2015 and also received Mayor Rusty Bailey’s Riverside Spirit Award.
In addition to living and working in Riverside, the Bourns family has significantly advanced educational initiatives in the Inland Empire. In 1994, the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering opened at the University of California, Riverside. This was followed by the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering at California Baptist University in 2014. The Bourns Foundation consistently supports all levels of education through the Science, Technology, and Engineering Partnership Conference and the Riverside STEM Academy.