Fred Otto Gordon was born 24 October 1894. His parents were George and Martha (Hyde) Gordon, and the family lived in Arlington, Iowa.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army on 9 April 1918. After completing a training course for electricians at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He was sent to Europe in July 1918 and was assigned to Battery F, 119th Field Artillery. He was wounded on 1 October 1918. He returned to the United States in April 1919 and was discharged from the Army on 20 May 1919.

Fred O. Gordon died in June 1971.

The collection (1917-1931, undated) contains materials related to Fred O. Gordon's World War I service, as well as newspaper clippings and photographs related to the Gordon family.

The World War I material includes a diary, correspondence, selective service and training certificates, a pay record book, newspaper clippings, and photographs (in the photograph album in folder 1/6). The diary covers the time from Gordon's enlistment until his discharge and records events such as the sinking of a submarine while on ship for Europe, artillery action, and being wounded and taken to the army hospital. The diary also includes notes about conventional signs used on firing charts and army codes such as NORPT (Nothing to Report).

The collection also included several artifacts relating to Gordon's World War I service. These items include two pieces of shrapnel and a metal plate, a cloth pouch, and an American Legion "Iowa" ribbon. These items are housed in the Artifact Collection (artifact numbers 2004-179.001-005).

Other materials in the collection include newspaper clippings about his parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and his mother's obituary as well as photographs of family and friends.

The collection is in alphabetical order.