Gordon McDonald was born in Wanham to George and Olive McDonald. Gordon joined the RCAF on September 26th, 1940 and received a promotion to Sergeant Pilot on March 17th, 1941, he was 19 years old. He left for overseas on April 6th, 1941 to pilot Blenheim Bombers. When he returned from active service in 1945, he and his new bride Phyllis took over the family farm. Gordon and Phyllis eventually bought their own land and built a home on it. In November of 1953, Gordon was piloting a flight from Grande Prairie to Edmonton with a polio patient and doctor on board. The conditions over Whitecourt were icy and the flight crashed, killing all onboard. Despite all of the search efforts, Gordon was not found until a year later.
- Grooming the Grizzly, p. 403