Several years ago, a Japanese visitor inquired at the town offices about Harold Wilson who once lived on Wilson Road in Gorham and was credited with introducing baseball to Japan. He was told, “Go ask Warren Gilman, the mayor of North Gorham.”
Warren Gilman, who died on February 10 at age 88, never held elective office, but he held within his slight fame the heart and history of the North Gorham community. Except for a few years, Gilman lived his whole life on North Gorham Road, first as his parents’ only child, and later, just down the road in the house he shared with his wife, Emma, and children, Cynthia and Bert. Many Mainers have deep roots in their communities and Gilman’s went back to the 1760s, but few have been as respected and beloved by generations of neighbors.
The only member of his class through eighth grade at the one room Levi Hall School, he was valedictorian of the Gorham High School class of 1947. Immediately after graduating from Bates College he took a job as a chemist for S.D. Warren and worked there until retiring in 1988. Although his work was productive and satisfying, he will be remembered in North Gorham for his leadership in community organizations, his knowledge of local history, his poetry and storytelling, his wide-ranging interests, and his gift of friendship. His neighbor, Abby Sanborn, spoke for many in the community when she said, “Warren was the most helpful, intelligent and welcoming man.”
Photo credit Cindy GilmanGilman was a life-long member of the United Church of Christ in North Gorham where he served in many capacities. He kept detailed records for the North Gorham Cemetery Association and not only knew who was buried where, but their family histories as well. He inherited his father’s collection of historical photographs of North Gorham which he was happy to share along with the history of each location.
Warren and Emma were faithful patrons and supporters of the North Gorham Public Library. He spearheaded a poetry appreciation group there which evolved into a writers group where neighbors still share their work. As Diane Atwood said in a 1997 profile in the Gorham Times, “Warren may have the intellect of a scientist but he also has the vision and soul of a poet. Many of us have had the pleasure of reading stories, poems, or doggerel penned by Warren.”
“Warren loved life,” remembered John Labrecque, a friend since childhood. “He wanted to share that love with all.” Nominated by neighbors in 1986, Gilman received the local Jefferson Award given to “ordinary people who do extraordinary things without the expectation of recognition or reward.”
Although poor health kept him confined to home near the end, for years he took a daily walk down North Gorham Road. As a boy he stopped to visit with a disabled girl; as a teenager he helped an aging farmer bring in the hay; as an adult he engaged his neighbors in conversation about the stars, the wildflowers, or the latest scientific discovery. He told a joke or heard a concern. “I still hear his voice,” Russell Leigh Moses said, “because he seemed always happy to hear mine.”