Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine, on Leon Gorman’s Passing
Leon Gorman testifies at a Land for Maine’s Future land bond hearing in 1999.
“We’re incredibly grateful for Leon Gorman’s lifelong commitment to protecting the Maine that we all love. Without Leon, Maine wouldn’t be the place it is today environmentally and economically.
His extremely successfully business defines Maine for people around the world. When people think of Maine, they think of L. L. Bean: a place to get your gear and get out in nature. As an avid sportsman and a hands-on leader, Leon embodied what Maine’s character is all about. His and Lisa’s philanthropy was driven by their values of conservation and community spirit, and has touched every person in Maine, no question.
Leon became a member of NRCM long before we started keeping records, and he served on NRCM’s National Advisory Board since its inception in 1998. He became involved in our earliest campaign to protect the Allagash River from being flooded by dam construction.
Every day, the staff at NRCM passes by an inscription from Leon on our lobby wall that inspires and energizes our work: ‘Ever since its beginnings, the Council has been a leader in Maine’s progress toward environmental responsibility.’ Leon Gorman, President, L.L. Bean.”
Leon was a member of NRCM’s National Advisory Board since its inception in 1998. Pictured here at the first NAB meeting in Camden in June 1998 are (from left to right): former NRCM executive director Brownie Carson, Lisa Gorman, Leon Gorman, NRCM North Woods Project Director Cathy Johnson, and former NRCM deputy director Tim Glidden.
