Born in Seattle, WA, Dr. Gordon Freeman graduated from MIT with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics by age 27. He was hired as a Level 3 Research Associate for the top secret Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico by his MIT mentor, Dr. Isaac Kleiner. Gordon had hoped that the funding provided to Black Mesa would be used in part to benefit civilians, in applications such as quantum computing. Despite being mute (he has no lines in any of the games) Gordon has become a legend in parts of the gaming community familiar with his exploits. His nerdy profession and his deadly skill with a crowbar have endeared him to many fans. In October 2009, Gordon Freeman was voted the All-Time Greatest Game Hero by gamers in a contest run by Gamespot. He beat much more mainstream characters (like Mario, Pikachu, Mega Man, Master Chief, Sonic, and Pac-Man) for the honor. Gordon's exploits were so well-loved that when people spotted a look-alike in a photo of an inspection at CERN, news spread quickly. Fearing that the presence of "Gordon Freeman" near the Large Hadron Collider heralded a failed experiment and a portal being opened to a hostile alien world, gamers put together a kit for him. They sent the anonymous physicist a crowbar (Gordon's trademark weapon), a Half-Life strategy guide, and a headcrab hat (for training) with a note that said, "Get this to Gordon Freeman. He'll know what to do." The package arrived and was passed on to the "real-life" Gordon Freeman who expressed his gratitude by taking up his crowbar and snapping some shots of his training exercises, all of which can be seen here.