| Tammy Oviatt honors her mother Hilary Gordon with the Chamber Business person of the Year Award. |
Hilary Gordon was honored as the Business person of the Year at the annual Emery County Chamber of Commerce banquet. Tammy Oviatt, Hiliary’s daughter presented the award. Oviatt said that Hilary is originally from London and is the third of four children. Hiliary always loved flowers and wanted a greenhouse. Oviatt said there was always some kind of a greenhouse rigged up in the backyard as she was growing up.
At age 14, Hilary went to work for Vidal Sasson as a shampoo girl. At age 19 the Mormon missionaries baptized Hilary. Hilary and her sister came to the USA to tour the country and they ran out of money in Salt Lake and went to work to earn money for the return trip. Hilary met Sandra Jensen, from Cleveland at a salon where she was working. Sandra arranged a blind date for Hilary with Brent Gordon from Huntington. They made an odd couple, the English girl and the Emery County cowboy, but they fell in love and were married and moved to Huntington. Hilary began doing hair with Roma Powell. She began having children, three sons and a daughter. Brent built a beauty shop onto the house for Hilary.
Hilary was always germinating plants in the backyard. What began as a hobby eventually led to three large green houses in the backyard and then when they outgrew the backyard, property was purchased north of Huntington for the new home of Gordon’s Nursery and Floral. Oviatt described Hilary’s obsession with flowers as a hobby gone bad.
Oviatt described her mother as being a risk taker and having a courageous spirit.
Hilary is very generous and donates flowers to the churches each Sunday, after church the flowers are given to the sick or to someone who needs a touch of cheer in the community.