 Through DNA testing and genealogy research, Holt's son was able to confirm that Gordon was from the Beam and Houser families of North Carolina.His family moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1937 for his father's work, and stayed there through World War II.From 1936 to 1946 Gordon attended the prestigious Melbourne private school Scotch College, returning to the U.S. after his father's sudden death from a stroke on 9 August 1946.