The Gorman Family has long reached into their hearts
Joe Gorman presents Sophia Alvarez ’19 with the 2018-19 Molly Gorman Arts Award
in service to Mayfield Our gratitude to the Gorman family dates back to the founding of our treasured Bellefontaine campus in the early 1950s, when family patriarch Joseph Gorman gave of his legal skills to help secure the property. His son, Honorary Trustee Joe Gorman, Jr. (MJS ’53) carries on his father’s legacy, serving the school as a trustee from 1987-1994. Joe, Jr. returns to campus each year to present the family’s Molly Gorman Arts Award and attend arts events and other school activities. Two generations of Gorman women attended Mayfield and cherish their transformative Holy Child education, rooted in the virtues of faith, community and respect. Below, Joe's daughter, Jenny Gorman Patton ’89, writes of her family’s legacy at Mayfield.
Why I Give Back to Mayfield By Jenny Gorman Patton ’89 Giving back to Mayfield Senior School helps me feel connected to my past and also allows me to play a role in the future of the school that has had such an impact on me—and on my family, all from over 2,000 miles away. In the 1950s, my grandfather Joseph Gorman, an attorney, helped obtain the required zoning permits to build a school on Bellefontaine. My aunt Phyllis Gorman Smith ’51 was in the first graduating class on the Bellefontaine campus, and her sister Ann Gorman Condon ’53 followed her. My father Joe Gorman, Jr. was a trustee in the 1980s and ’90s, and my mother Molly was involved in development activities to raise funds for the William R. and Virginia Hayden Building and the Sister Mary Wilfrid Gymnasium. My Mayfield experience was fundamental to who I’ve become, as it was a time when teachers such as Ms. Ameer and Mrs. Bragen and friends and classmates like Chelsea Ashworth Prekker ’89 and Cristina Thais Vittoria ’89 encouraged me to be who I was while helping me evolve. As someone who now works with young people on a daily basis, I want to offer my students the same support and encouragement I received at Mayfield.
Molly Gorman & Jenny Gorman Patton ’89
Though I don’t have a daughter, my children are part of Mayfield’s history since my husband Robert and I met during a 1989 Interim trip to Washington, D.C. Had Mayfield not been part of my life, it’s likely our sons Michael (21) and Alex (19) wouldn’t exist. When Mom died from cancer in 2005, our family established the Molly Gorman Arts Award. Although she didn’t attend Mayfield, she epitomized its motto “Actions Not Words,” as she was a do-er who gave generously of her time and talent. We felt this Award was the best way to honor her life. A fiction writer, public relations specialist and fundraiser, Mom volunteered for the Pasadena Symphony Juniors, Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, National Charity League, We Care for Youth, Holy Family Catholic Church and the San Marino Traffic Commission in addition to her commitment to Mayfield—all while raising my brother Joe and me. It’s gratifying to learn about the amazing scholarship recipients who are skilled in creative writing, music, dance or fine arts—young women with a bright future whom Mom would have loved to support. Jenny Gorman Patton ’89 teaches in the Department of English and works as a Wellness Coach at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
