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Lawrence C. Gorman

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Lawrence C. Gorman
Portrait of Lawrence C. Gorman in 1943
Gorman in 1943
41stPresident of Georgetown University
In office
1942–1949
Preceded byArthur A. O'Leary
Succeeded byJ. Hunter Guthrie
Personal details
Born(1898-09-28)September 28, 1898
New York City,United States
DiedDecember 28, 1953(1953-12-28)(aged 55)
Scranton, Pennsylvania,U.S.
Resting placeJesuit Community Cemetery
Alma mater
Orders
OrdinationJune 21, 1932
byPietro Fumasoni Biondi

Lawrence Clifton GormanSJ(September 28, 1898 – December 28, 1953) was an AmericanCatholicpriest andJesuitwho held senior positions at severalJesuit universitiesin the United States. Born inNew York City,he was educated at Jesuit institutions, before entering the Society of Jesus. He then became a professor ofchemistryatGeorgetown University,and continued his higher studies at Jesuit universities in the United States andRome.

He became the acting dean ofGeorgetown Collegein 1935, and then vice president and dean of studies atLoyola College in Maryland,before being appointedpresident of Georgetown Universityin 1942. His tenure was largely shaped byWorld War II,which necessitated his admittance of women into theGraduate School of Arts and Science.A proponent ofracial integration,he instructed administrators to admit the first black undergraduate students. While this did not materialize until shortly after his presidency, the university did begin admitting black students in several of its graduate schools during his term. He also joined the presidents of other local universities in agreeing to allow medical students fromHoward Universityto train atWashington, D.C.'s public hospital.

During his presidency, Gorman constructed the newGeorgetown University Hospitalbuilding, and raised funds for the construction ofMcDonough Gymnasium.Following the end of his term of office, he became vice president and dean of studies at theUniversity of Scranton,where he died in 1953.

Early life and education[edit]

Lawrence Clifton Gorman was born on September 28, 1898, inNew York City,to Lawrence P. Gorman and Anna Teresa Gorman,néeNagle.[1][2]He enrolled inXavier High School(where he was later inducted into their hall of fame) and graduated in 1916,[3]proceeding toFordham University,where he received hisBachelor of Artsin 1920.[2]Upon graduation, he entered theSociety of Jesuson September 28, 1920.[4]In 1926, he was awarded aMaster of ArtsfromBoston College.

Academic career[edit]

That year, he was appointed an assistant professor ofchemistryatGeorgetown University,where he remained until 1929.[2]He then went toWoodstock CollegeinMaryland,where in 1932, he wasordainedby ArchbishopPietro Fumasoni Biondi,theApostolic Delegate to the United States,as asubdeaconon June 19, adeaconon June 20, and aprieston June 21. He celebrated his firstSolemn Masson July 3 inSt. Philip Neri's ChurchinThe Bronx.[5]In 1933, he was awarded aLicentiate of Sacred Theologyfrom Woodstock. He then returned to Georgetown in 1933, where he was made director of the department of chemistry.[2]

Replacing George F. Strohaver,[6]Gorman was named the acting dean ofGeorgetown Collegein 1935,[2]until a permanent replacement was found in John E. Grattan.[6]The following year, he became the vice president and dean of studies atLoyola College in Maryland,and held this position until 1942.[2]During this time, he also completed his education at thePontifical Gregorian UniversityinRome,where he received hisDoctor of Philosophyin 1938.[2]Later in life, Gorman was eventually awarded an honoraryLegum Doctordegree.[7]

Georgetown University[edit]

Lawrence C. Gorman in his later years
Gorman later in life

Gorman succeededArthur A. O'Learyaspresident of Georgetown Universityon December 17, 1942, upon being appointed byZacheus J. Maher,the American assistant to theJesuit Superior General.[8]The first half of his presidency was principally shaped byWorld War II;[9]since so many male students had left to fight the war, Gorman decided to admit women to theGraduate School of Arts and Sciences,with the first eleven enrolling in 1943.[10]That year, the university also began hosting anArmy Specialized Training Program,focusing on instruction in engineering, languages, andarea studies,and theMedical,Dental,andNursingSchools created training programs with the Army and Navy.[11]

On December 18, 1944, Gorman broke ground on the newGeorgetown University Hospital,which was located on Reservoir Road and held 400 beds.[12]In order to build the hospital, on March 24, 1945,[13]PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltsigned a law granting a special exception to theHeight of Buildings Act of 1910,[14][15]which limits the height of buildings in the District of Columbia. The Georgetown University Hospital became one of seven buildings to have been specifically exempt from the height restrictions in the history of the law.[16]In addition to construction of the hospital, Gorman undertook a campaign that raised the bulk of the funds necessary for the construction ofMcDonough Gymnasium,which broke ground in 1950.[9]

The main Georgetown University Hospital building was constructed during his presidency.

At thecommencementceremony of 1945, Gorman awarded PresidentHarry S. Trumanan honoraryDoctor of Lawsdegree, and hailed him as the "chosen son of destiny" who was working to bring forth peace in the midst of World War II. Truman was unable to attend the ceremony, and sent SenatorDennis Chávezin his stead; an honorary doctorate was also awarded toRoss T. McIntire,theSurgeon General of the Navy.[17]He also presented Crown PrinceAbdul Ilah,theregentof theKingdom of Iraq,with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.[18]

Gorman directed administrators in 1947 to include at least one black student in the following year's freshman class. The administrators did not follow this directive, but did begin to admit black students to the Graduate School, Medical School, andLaw School.Eventually, in 1950, the first black undergraduate student was admitted to theSchool of Foreign Service.[19]

In 1948, along with the president ofHoward University,Mordecai Wyatt Johnson,andCloyd Heck Marvin,the president ofGeorge Washington University,Gorman signed an agreement allowing students and faculty fromHoward University College of Medicineto practice atGallinger Municipal Hospitalon equal footing with Georgetown and George Washington. This agreement was then ratified by theDistrict of Columbia Board of Commissioners.[20]Following the end of World War II, the number of students at Georgetown doubled.[9]Gorman's presidency came to an end on February 18, 1949, and he was succeeded as president byJ. Hunter Guthrie.[21]

Later years[edit]

Following the end of his presidency at Georgetown, Gorman became vice president and dean of studies at theUniversity of ScrantoninPennsylvania,where he was also a member of the board of trustees and the board of regents.[22]Gorman died suddenly of aheart attackon December 28, 1953, at the University of Scranton. His body was returned to Georgetown,[9]where he was buried in theJesuit Community Cemetery.[1]

In 1959, Georgetown opened the Lawrence C. Gorman Diagnostic and Research Building on theMedical Center campus,which was used by medical and dental students. The building contained an outpatient dental department that doubled the number of patients the Dental School could treat.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^abSpencer 1998,p. 19
  2. ^abcdefgRomig 1947,p. 168
  3. ^"The Xavier Hall of Fame"(PDF).Xavier High School.Archived(PDF)from the original on January 16, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 16,2019.
  4. ^"Prayer card for Lawrence C. Gorman, S.J., 1952".University of Scranton.Archivedfrom the original on January 16, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 16,2019.
  5. ^"Alumni to be Ordained: Number to Receive Holy Offices During Next Month".The Fordham Ram.Vol. 13, no. 25. May 12, 1932. p. 9.Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 15,2019.
  6. ^abCurran 2010,p. 398, Appendix C: Prefects of Studies/Deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, 1889–1964
  7. ^Senior Class of Georgetown University 1943,p. 5
  8. ^"Georgetown University Has New President".The Charleston Gazette.December 18, 1942. p. 14.RetrievedJanuary 15,2019– via NewspaperArchive.
  9. ^abcdGeorgetown University Alumni Magazine1953,p. 5
  10. ^O'Neill & Williams 2003,p. 91
  11. ^Curran 2010,p. 221
  12. ^Proctor 1944,p. 456
  13. ^Repetti 1956,p. 279
  14. ^Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States)79–22,59Stat.38
  15. ^United States Government Monthly Catalog1945,p. 366
  16. ^Part I: Historical Background on the Height of Buildings Act2013,p. 4
  17. ^Congressional Record1945,p. A2908
  18. ^Senior Class of Baghdad College 1945,p. Page of Honor
  19. ^Garbitelli, Elizabeth (March 15, 2012)."First Black Undergraduate Dies".The Hoya.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 15,2019.
  20. ^National Negro Health News1948,p. 24
  21. ^Tyler 1949,p. 497
  22. ^University of Scranton Catalog1951,pp. 7–8
  23. ^Journal of the American Dental Association1959,p. 147

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

Academic offices
Preceded by
George F. Strohaver
Acting Dean ofGeorgetown College
1934–1936
Succeeded by
John E. Grattan
Preceded by 41stPresident of Georgetown University
1942–1949
Succeeded by