Ernest Gordon

May 31, 1916 - Ernest Gordon was born in Greenock, Scotland.

1935-1939: -He studied law and philosophy at the University of Glasgow.

1940: Gordon was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of the British Army.

1942: He was captured by the Japanese during the fall of Singapore and sent to a POW camp in Thailand where he was forced to work on the construction of the Burma Railway, also known as the "Death Railway".

1943: Gordon nearly died of tropical diseases in the camp. During this time, he experienced a religious conversion.

1945: He was liberated from the POW camp.

1946-1949: After returning to Scotland, Gordon studied at the University of Edinburgh and then at Trinity College, Glasgow to prepare for the ministry.

1950: He was ordained in the Church of Scotland, at Paisley Abbey.

1951-1954: Gordon served as an assistant minister at St. Mungo's Parish Church in Alloa, Scotland.

1954: He moved to the United States and became the Dean of the Chapel at Princeton University, a post he held for 26 years.

1955: He published his memoir, "Through the Valley of the Kwai", which was later adapted into the film "To End All Wars".

1962 - Gordon published "Miracle On The River Kwai".

1981: He retired from his post at Princeton University.

2002: Gordon died on January 16 in Princeton, New Jersey.