Gordon A. Hasse, Jr.

On May 12th, 2026, friends of Gordon Hasse were saddened by the news that the Pinball enthusiast and scholar had passed away after a brief illness at the age of 81. Gordon or “Gordo” as he preferred, was an early pinball scholar and historian. He worked with Dick Bueschel on the Pinball Encyclopedias Vol. 1 & 2, partnered with Steve Young of Pinball Resource on the Pinball Quarterly, was part of the Chicago Pinball Expo with Rob Berk and produced an event in NY City’s Atrium on Park Ave.

From the Dec.2nd , 1993 article in the NYTimes:
“By day, Gordon A. Hasse Jr. is an advertising copywriter in New York. At other times he pursues his hobby, collecting pinball art and artifacts. "It's been a lifelong interest," said Mr. Hasse, who got his first pinball machine in 1957 as a Christmas present when he was 12. He now owns about 100, most of which are kept in warehouses in upstate New York. More than 50 of Mr. Hasse's pieces from what he considers pinball's golden age will be in a show, "Remember Pinball," at the Park Avenue Atrium (at 46th Street) from Dec. 7 to Feb. 28. The exhibition was produced by Alex Shear, the founding partner of Nostalgia Brokers, a New York consulting firm that organizes shows on Americana for corporations. Mr. Hasse is also a partner in the firm.”
Gordon inherited Dick Buschel’s pinball research and ephemera and was working on continuing the encyclopedia project while he also worked on his book 1954, “when the price of a phone call and a pinball game went to 10 cents”. In 2008 Gordo attended the 2nd Pacific Pinball Exposition in San Rafael, CA. There he met with PPM board members and made an offer to donate his entire collection of over 240 Pinball games to our nonprofit.
From Larry Zartarian’s article in Pinball News July 9th, 2009:
“Being a very discriminating collector, Gordo had managed to amass a collection that includes at least one working example of every single-player Gottlieb woodrail pinball made from 1946 (Stage Door Canteen) through 1961 (Foto Finish) (174 titles in all), plus 12 Williams games from 1951-1955 (including Control Tower, Shoot the Moon, Paratrooper, Twenty Grand, Grand Champion, Army/Navy and Wonderland); 17 other games from various manufacturers (including Rockola, Genco, Victory Games, Marvel, United, Exhibit and Chicago Coin.”
Besides his generous Pinball donation Gordo included his ephemera, the inherited Buschel collection, a set of Billboard Magazines 1948-63, and a museum favorite; a 1952 Seeburg Jukebox. Many of Gordon’s games are in service at the museum and Gordo attended 6 of our Pacific Pinball Expositions actively participating in museum events and efforts.
We all will remember Gordo for the kind and passionate man he was. He brought so much to the world of pinball and shared his knowledge and enthusiasm freely. We will carry on with his passion and keep his spirit alive. May he rest in peace.
For more info about the Life of Gordon A. Hasse, Jr. on the web:
NY Times article:
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1993/12/02/issue.html
Pinheads with intro by Gordon Hasse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck9RLUCh7Hc
Imoto Harny’s interview of Gordon Hasse 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWIaiE5jeXg

Gordon A. Hasse, Jr. Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae

Education:
Wharton Graduate Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Marketing M.B.A.
Duke University, Durham, NC B.A. in English, Psychology
Cal’s Coin College, Nicoma Park, OK. Certified Pinball Mechanic
Teaching Experience:
Columbia College, Orlando, FL Adjunct Professor of Marketing
Florida Institute of Technology, Orlando, FL Adjunct Professor of Marketing
Rollins College, Orlando, FL Adjunct Instructor Public Relations
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL Adjunct Marketing Lecturer
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC Guest Lecturer: TV Production
Curriculum Development:
Developed NJ state approved curriculum for Professional Careers Institute (Personnel Management)
Professional Experience:
Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising, NY, NY Senior VP, Senior Creative Director
Franchise Right, Orlando, Fl Executive Creative Director
HomeKlix, Orlando, FL Co-Founder & Principal
J. Walter Thompson Advertising, NY, NY Senior Account Executive
N.W. Ayer Advertising, NY, NY Vice President, Creative Supervisor
VSM Advertising, Winter Park, FL Director of Account Strategy & Planning
Advertising Awards and Honors:
Adweek Magazine, Eastern TV Writer of the Year • Effie TV Silver • American Institute of Commercial Production Award for AT&T “You Will” commercial • Cannes Film Festival, Special Diploma • International Film & TV Festival of NY, TV Gold • International Broadcasting Award, TV Gold • ADDY Best of NY, 3 TV Gold Awards • ADDY District II, 2 TV Gold Awards
Pinball Presentations:
Delivered more than a dozen illustrated presentations on the pop-culture significance of pinball to hobbyists, collectors, industry executives and the joint meeting of the Popular Culture and American Culture Associations.
Pinball Exhibits:
“Remember Pinball?” A 3-month long exhibit in New York’s Park Avenue Atrium building featuring pinball games from my collection and extensive pop-culture commentary.
“Arcade Amusements” Provided the theme for Philadelphia’s Winter Antiques Show at West Philadelphia Armory with my coin-op games & commentary.
Pinball Publishing:
Co-Publisher of Encyclopedia of Pinball, Volumes I and II
Editor and Co-Publisher of The Pinball Collectors’ Quarterly, The first magazine for pinball collectors.
Pinball Articles:
As a Contributing Editor of GameRoom Magazine, I wrote more than 50 articles, book reviews and editorials that appeared in: GameRoom, The Pinball Collectors’ Quarterly, the Internet magazine Pinball News, Arcade & Flipper Pinball Review, PinGame Journal online, Pinball Magazine, Pacific Pinball Museum website and several pinball books and price guides.
Pinball Interviews:
Topcast Internet Radio Show ● For Amusement Only – The EM and Bingo Podcast ● Marco TV Texas Pinball Festival ● Pinheads – The Story of the Pacific Pinball Museum ● 12 Woodrail Pinball Machines, Pacific Pinball Expo ●
Interview With Gordon Hasse, Arcade & Flipper Pinball Review
Pinball Collection: 240 machines 1932-1961
Donor: To the Pacific Pinball Museum
Non-Advertising Awards: UCF Dean’s Award for Excellence in Risk Taking ● Pacific Pinball Museum Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions in Promoting the History and Preservation of Pinball ● Placement of my AT&T “You Will” TV commercial in the permanent collection of the NY Museum of Modern Art ● Award for Outstanding Contributions to Chicago Pinball Expo