Gordon Leon Hammond, 91, of Zephyrhills passed away August 28, 2023 at Gulfside Hospice. He was born November 6, 1931 in Portsmouth, NH to Victor and Mable Littlefield Hammond. Gordon graduated from Phillips Andover Academy in 1950 then served in US Army, 45th Infantry Division 1950-1953, awarded Combat Infantry 's Badge for service in the Korean War. With the GI bill, he took a BS in Physics from University of New Hampshire in 1958.In 1958, he began a 30-year employment as a Research Physicist at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, later renamed Naval Surface Weapons Center, in Silver Spring, MD. His principal project in Independent Research led to the production of data that was also useful in the analysis of white dwarf stellar atmospheres. His work-study program with the University of Maryland, led to a MS degree in Physics and a PhD degree in Astronomy in 1974. He published papers on the late stages of stellar evolution. He taught Astrophysics at the University of South Florida in the early 1990's. He married Paula (Polly) Marston in 1958. Polly died in 1983. He married Dede Pickard in 1986. He is survived by his wife, Dede, his sons Bruce (Lesa) Hammond, Wayne (Cheryl) Hammond, daughters, Veronica Joyce and Julie (Paul) Young, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister Peggy, his brother Bill, and grand-daughter Jessica. His sports passion was golf: caddie, pro caddie, pro player, amateur player, and rules official. He frequently "shot his age" in the 73-84 age bracket. He also was proficient in sports car racing. His ubiquitous Datsun 1200 was a winner in SCCA Solo I and II, and in Regional and National races in the mid-Atlantic region in the 1970's and early 1980's. He was a member of the All-American Rifle Team in 1956 and 1958 while he was Captain of the Rifle Team at the University of New Hampshire. He was active as an officer in the Korean War Veterans Association, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and the White Oak Laboratory Alumni Association. A memorial service will be conducted 11 AM, September 16 at Hodges Family Funeral Home, Zephyrhills. Visitation will take

place one hour prior. He will be buried in the Maryland National Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL.