Scott Michael Gorman
by Liz Bauer (maiden name Stobie)

In loving memory of my dear friend….

Humanitarian, arts and peace activist and writer, Scott Michael Gorman died peacefully in Mt. Vernon, Washing on June 20, 2009.

Scott was born in Washington, DC on August 11, 1954 and was a 1972 graduate of Charles W. Woodward High School in Rockville, MD.  He spent the last 27 years of his life in Anacortes, WA.

After graduating from high school, Scott attended Emerson College on an acting scholarship which resulted in some of his plays being produced by the National Theatre for Children.  Scott eventually moved to the West Coast and worked for a few years in San Francisco producing and writing public service announcements.  He moved to Anacortes, Washington in 1982 to become a nanny to two young girls and shortly after arriving, he began his long and selfless career nurturing and educating the community in the arts.

After just two months in Anacortes, Scott helped create the Anacortes Youth Arts.  He joined the board of the Anacortes Arts Foundation and participated in local theater as an actor and producer.  He spent many years volunteering for the Anacortes Arts Festival and was the stage manager and master of ceremonies for the festival’s stage.  In the mid-1980s, Scott started an arts page at the Anacortes American, where he was a writer and columnist.  He also did a year long stint as the editor of the paper.  In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he wrote about the arts and other topics for the Everett Herald.  In recognition of Scott’s marvelous contributions, the School District named him co-winner of the Walter A. Brodniak Cultural Education Award in 2005 and the Arts Festival selected him as the 2006 Patron of the Arts.

By the mid-1990’s, he was contributing to the Anacortes American and Fidalgo Magazine and wrote about arts and travel for the Skagit Valley Herald, the Toronto Star and several other publications.  In 1999, he published the best of his columns as the thought-provoking “Gormandizing: Collected Essays and More.”

Most assuredly, Scott’s proudest accomplishment was his award of a Fulbright Senior Research Grant which provided residency and a study period in Japan.  Even though he was working for a tiny newspaper and lacked a college degree he wrote an outstanding proposal and to his astonishment, he won!   Scott chose to live in Kisakata, Japan, where many ancient traditions are still observed in a meaningful way.  He was immersed in the culture and forced to adapt to local customs.  He lived there for six months beginning in August 2001, living in a shoji-screened home provided by the town for a nominal fee.  His efforts to blend in were detailed with great humour and humility in a series of columns that ran in his hometown paper.

In 2005, Scott had to give up his job with the Anacortes School District as the Cultural Education Coordinator due to serious health concerns.  After serious complications from diabetes and heart disease, Scott’s battle ended quietly.  Scott will be greatly missed and was an inspiration to everyone he came in contact with.  He was the quintessential friend.

Scott is survived by a sister, Lynn Caffrey of Oakland, CA and brother, Bruce Gorman of Berkeley, CA.  Also surviving are his brother-in-law, Pat, sister-in-law, Judy, 4 nieces and nephews and a family of friends in several countries.

[Update…]  Scott’s family would appreciate it deeply if donations in lieu of flowers could be sent to the Anacortes Schools Foundation, 2200 M Avenue, Anacortes, WA 98221 in Scott’s memory.